Outted!
by michoct
Summary: Jake's paternity is outted bringing danger on Liz and the boys. This story is written Twenty Four style, each chapter will be another hour.
1. Chapter 1 Hour 1

I do not own these characters, am not affiliated with GH, ABC or Disney.

As of now, I am giving this story a PG-13/T rating. If that changes at any point I will let you know but I don't think it will. This day takes place when Spinelli is in the hospital for his high fever due to the virus.

Chapter 1

Hour 1 - 9:00 PM

"Hooray, the jackal is being released from the confines of this prison." Spinelli chanted as he signed his release papers.

Elizabeth laughed and tapped on the keys to the computer. "Ok, it looks like you are ready to go but… I need to know how you are going to pay the bill for administration."

Spinelli had a startled look on his face. "Oh, the Jackal had not considered the monetary aspect of…"

"I am taking care of his bill." Jason said stepping into the view of Spinelli and Elizabeth. He had been standing around the corner listening to their conversation.

The light in Elizabeth's eyes shined the moment he appeared, mirroring his. They stared in silence before Spinelli interrupted. "The Jackal would undeniably reimburse any expenditure accrued by generous Stonecold due to my recent illness."

Jason's eyes left Elizabeth's instantly leaving her craving him again. "It's fine Spinelli, I have it."

"You know where to go to take care of the bill?" Elizabeth asked.

Jason nodded.

"The Jackal will be back momentarily. I must ensure I have gathered all of my possessions." Spinelli said before walking away to gather his things.

Once alone, Elizabeth's hand covered Jason's that was resting on the counter. "How are you doing?"

Jason shrugged.

"It's just… not fair. I wish I could be there for you… with you. I want…"

"Oh, if it isn't my favorite mob boss." Claudia said, interrupting what Elizabeth was saying. She was oblivious to any relationship between them and the instant Claudia spoke Elizabeth went back to the computer.

Jason rolled his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

She rested her hands on her hips, "Well, it's nice to see you too. You really need to lighten up." Jason wiped his hand down his face and turned toward her so he was leaning his back against the counter and Elizabeth. "I came to see how my buddy Spinelli is doing since you never called me with his condition."

"I've been busy and he is being released. Is that all?" Jason spat at her then grabbed her arm, leading her toward the door to the emergency room.

"You know, all this anger and stress… I think you need to get laid." She smiled flirtatiously, "And I am available tonight, we could overcome all this sexual tension between us." She said running her hand across his chest.

Jason stopped her hand and pushed her away. "Like I said before, I am not interested. I know how I feel about you and it surely is not attraction."

She smiled, "You'll change your mind." She walked past Jason, shaking her hips as she walked in Spinelli's direction.

Jason turned and Elizabeth, who apparently had heard and watched his interaction with Claudia, she quickly turned her head back toward the pile of charts in front of her.

A short time later he had paid the bill and was about to leave when he saw Elizabeth, once again, standing behind the desk with not one within an ear shot. He approached her, "Hey."

"Hey…" she replied. "Um, Spinelli left a little while ago. Claudia Zacharra drove him home."

Jason sighed, he was annoyed that this woman would not leave him alone. She was worse then Carly. "About earlier, she has this…"

Elizabeth raised her hand for him to stop his thoughts, "Jason, you don't owe me an explanation." She sighed and looked away from him, again focusing on the computer in front of her. She continued talking, "We aren't together and it would not be fair for me to expect you to be alone forever."

"But…" Jason stopped talking when a few doctors approached the desk discussing a patient. Her eyes met his briefly, they were sad and he could tell she did not mean what she had said. He stayed there for a few minutes but the doctors did not retreat so he simply nodded to her and left.

* * *

Just an FYI, some chapters may be fairly short and some may be really long because of the way the story is broken up so I am sorry in advance if you feel jipped for a brief chapter here and there.


	2. Chapter 2 Hour 2

Chapter 2

Hour 2 - 10:00 PM

"The Jackal is supremely grateful that Vixenella has provided transportation to my abode." Spinelli said.

Claudia smiled, "You are sweet Spinelli. And you are a good friend to Jason… he likes you, I can tell." She cross her arms over her chest. "So tell me his story."

Spinelli hung his head, "Regrettably, it is not the Jackals story to tell."

"He doesn't have a girlfriend Spinelli? Or a girl he likes to, well, you know?"

Spinelli blushed at her implication. He fidgeted then shook his head, "No."

"I just find it hard to believe that a man like Jason is single." Claudia smiled, "Like I said before Spinelli, you are a good friend to Ja… Stonecold." She picked up on his uneasiness and knew that there was a story to be told but she did not push the subject. "I should be going."

Spinelli darted to the door and opened it for her.

"And you are chivalrous too. You are so cute." She said pinching his cheek as she walked past him. Once in the hallway she turned and waved to him as she hit the elevator button.

Spinelli leaned against the door, swooning until she disappeared behind the doors of the elevator. Once she was out of his sight, he closed the door and returned to his research he had began before the virus, searching for the person that hired Ian Devlin.

* * *

Claudia was not sure why, but she needed to know Jason's secret. It was sheer intuition that told her that Jason had something that he hid from the world and she wanted to know it. Sure she flirted with him but it was not because of his rejection of her, she needed leverage against him.

Waiting outside the hospital, he finally emerged and quickly sped away on his motorcycle. Claudia started her car and set out following him. He rode fast toward the outside of town. She was having trouble keeping up with him while maintaining a distance far enough away that he would not be alerted to her presence. After over twenty minutes of riding at dangerously fast speeds he pulled his bike to a stop. She watched as he made a phone call.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Elizabeth." Jason said.

"Jason, is everything ok?"

"Yea, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me?" he asked in a serious voice.

"Is it safe, are you ok?" she asked.

Jason nodded as he said, "Yea. I just, there is something that I need to talk to you about and it really shouldn't wait."

"My shift is over in a little less then an hour."

"Ok, meet me at the safe house… and be careful." He pleaded into the phone.

"I will." Elizabeth said then closed her phone and placed it back in her purse under the nurses desk. She was worried about him. He did not have anyone to talk to and was obviously still mourning over Michael.

Whether he had an attraction to Claudia or not, it truly was none of her business, but it hurt her regardless. Maybe Claudia was a better fit for him, she was obviously already involved in the business and was already prepared to handle the danger. Jason would not be afraid to publicly be with her because she is a target without him and would be a target with him as well. She was beautiful and had a definite way with men.

Maybe Jason wanted to tell her about him and Claudia before she heard from someone else. That was something that she could not hear, the thought made her stomach tighten.

* * *

Claudia pulled her car to a stop and watched Jason climb off his bike and enter a small house. It seemed to be well kept and was surrounded by trees almost completely except for the driveway. When they turned off the main road she had turned her headlights off and kept a good distance behind him hoping he would not notice and was surprised that he didn't. He was definitely distracted. She turned her car off and waited.

* * *

Spinelli sat on the couch leaning over his laptop. He pounded away on the keys, stopping every so often to sip his orange soda and eat a few chips. He had been searching the records of Ian Devlin for days, phone records, bank records, medical records, motor vehicle records, and even medical school records.

His fingers stopped moving when he found something that could have been a coincidence. Ian Devlin had been on a flight from Prague to Sydney two years prior and when Spinelli read the passenger list, one of the names stood out, James Craig.

"Did Ian Devlin know Jerry Jax… they were on the same flight… doesn't Jerry Jax have a private aircraft?" Spinelli wondered out loud. "Ok, conceivably this could be a simple twist of fate." He began searching Jerry Jax and James Craig's records for anything else that could tie him into Ian Devlin.


	3. Chapter 3 Hour 3

Chapter 3

Hour 3 - 11:00 PM

"Lucky?" Elizabeth said into her phone.

"Hey Elizabeth, are you on your way to get the boys?" Lucky asked.

"Actually, I'm not feeling very well and I was wondering if you can keep the boys overnight." She said in a low voice, attempting to sound sick.

"Sure, is everything ok?"

"Yea, it's just a stomach bug, hopefully it will be gone by the morning."

"I have a shift early so do you want me to bring them by or I can take them to daycare if you still feel sick or have to work." Lucky offered.

"No, I'll pick them up in the morning, I have off tomorrow. Thank you Lucky."

* * *

Claudia had been sitting for close to a half hour when another car finally pulled down the street. It came from the same direction they had. Claudia had parked her car in front of another that seemed to belong to a house adjacent to the one Jason was currently in. She did not want her car to stick out and raise a red flag to Jason or whoever may be meeting him. She sat straight up in her seat as she watched the small sedan pull into the driveway and come to a stop behind Jason's bike. The driver seemed to hesitate before finally stepping out of the car. "You've got to be kidding me." Claudia said out loud with a chuckle when she recognized the petite woman as a nurse at the hospital. The woman paused in the yard before finally knocking on the door.

* * *

Elizabeth sat in her car, her stomach in knots. She was nervous, afraid Jason was going to tell her that he was moving on. She could never ask him to be alone forever and she hated herself for being so selfish for wanting him to be alone if she couldn't have him. She finally removed her keys from the ignition and pulled herself from the car. She took a few steps, pausing in the front yard. She looked at the house that she and Jason had shared. Even though it was for such a short time she had so many memories and the instant she got to the door they all came rushing back.

This house was their escape. Escape from adversity, danger and everything and everyone else in the world.

She hesitated, unsure if she should knock or just walk in. Her hand raised and she softly knocked on the door. Before her arm returned to her side, the door flew open. She instantly felt his eyes on her, burning her skin, twisting her stomach into a tighter knot.

Jason couldn't move. They were alone and no one would know they had met. He wondered why they had ended their affair but quickly remembered that he had ended it, for her safety but having her standing there in front of him made it hard to accept his own decision. They were both tongue tied, neither able to speak, both staring into the others pool of blue.

He reached for her hand and when he took it in his he discovered it was trembling. He realized that she was nervous and tugged gently on her arm. She followed his lead and they stood in the doorway, embracing.

After a few minutes Jason moved his hands and held her head in his palms. He pulled back so he could look in her eyes again, "Elizabeth?" he whispered.

Her eyes lifted and met his. The pads of his thumbs stroked her cheeks that were wet from a few tears that had fallen. He hated that she was upset and hurting. "Sorry." She whispered, "I don't mean to…"

He stopped her bringing his lips to hers. The kiss started gentle, their lips softly brushing against each other. Quickly that was not enough for Jason as he parted her lips and kissed her fervently. Her arms hooked around his neck and he lifted her, turned and kicked the door shut with his foot.

* * *

"Well I'll be damned…" Claudia said to herself. "Looks like Mr. Morgan has a thing for cute little nurses." She watched, squinting her eyes to see as Jason showed his sensitive side. He warmly embraced the petite woman then he kissed her as though he was going to die if he didn't.

They disappeared behind the door and she sat there contemplating her next move. Minutes later she pulled out her cell phone.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I was in there tonight and the nurse that was working was so helpful. I wanted to send a letter to commend her for her wonderful assistance."

"Is that so?" Epiphany said into the phone.

"Problem is that I did not get her name, she was petite with long brownish hair. It was just a few hours ago."

"That would be Nurse Webber." Epiphany stated.

"Nurse…" Claudia paused waiting for Epiphany to fill in the blank.

"Elizabeth Webber."

A smile formed on Claudia's face. "Oh, thank you so much. It is not often these days that you find someone that takes such pride in their work and is so caring. I will surely send a nice letter to her boss to inform them of her wonderful service."

"Well wouldn't you like her bosses name, perhaps the contact information?"

Claudia rolled her eyes, "Oh yes, please."

"I am her boss, my name is Nurse Epiphany Johnson. Who is this that I am speaking with?"

Claudia hung up the phone and started her car. She decided that it was time for her to try to imitate the Jackal and see what information she can find on Nurse Elizabeth Webber.


	4. Chapter 4 Hour 4

Chapter 4

Hour 4 - 12:00 AM

Elizabeth's feet finally hit the floor when they reached the couch but her hold on him remained. His kiss was dizzying, she hadn't expected it and now felt like she was floating. He broke their kiss and they both gasped for air. His fingers moved to twirl a loose curl that hung over her face. He tucked it snugly behind her ear. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I know it must be hard to come here."

Suddenly the room stopped spinning and Elizabeth returned to reality. The tightness in her chest and stomach returned and she slid from his hold and dropped onto the couch. Still grasping her purse and keys in her hand, she threw them on the coffee table in front of her and buried her head in her hands.

Jason sat beside her, placing his hand on her back. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to explain earlier."

"Jason, it's ok."

He looked at her, furrowing his brows.

"I mean, I don't like it but… I can't ask you to be alone forever Jason." She said solemnly as the tears returned to her eyes and she lifted them to meet his. He opened his mouth to speak but she continued. "I mean Claudia makes sense, she is accustomed to the danger. She is beautiful, well in a slutty kind of way… but she is obviously attracted to you and if you feel the same then it would not be fair for me to ask you not to pursue that. I can't ask you to be a monk Jason." She sniffled, "So I understand." Jason sat dumbfounded as she continued. "You told me that you wanted me to live a happy life and I want the same for you, even if it isn't with me." She stood from the couch and his hand slid down her back as she moved away from him. "I just, I can't handle this anymore. I can't be around you all the time like this, my heart can't take it. I am a wreck, and this town is too small. Every time we run into each other my heart breaks all over again. Maybe… maybe I will take the boys to California and stay with Steven for a while, I don't know. I just, I know I won't ever be able to get over you Jason and the only way I can live with this situation is to leave."

She took a deep breath, "So if you want to be with Claudia Zacharra, I would never ask you to be faithful to something we can't have and… well I just can't be here for that. I can't see you with her, it would be like losing you again and I can't handle that." Her entire body was trembling and she sobbed as she leaned against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor, her knees tucked and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her forehead fell to rest on her knees as silence filled the room broken only by her sobs.

Jason was speechless. He could not believe what she was saying, she thought he had a thing for Claudia. He stood from the couch and moved to where she was crouched on the floor. He squatted in front of her, "Elizabeth?" Her hair was now a mess of curls falling messily around her. She did not raise her head to meet his eyes, instead kept her head down, resting on her knees. He slid his feet to the side and dropped down to sit on the floor in front of her. "Elizabeth?" She still did not respond to him or make a move to look at him. He could no longer hear her sobs but knew she was still crying by the way her back was rising. "Elizabeth, pl-please look at me." he said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Jason, please don't be sweet. It is only going to make this harder." She said in a shaky voice, her head never lifting from her knees.

"Eliz…" the lump in his throw grew and he swallowed before continuing. "I need you to look at me."

Elizabeth sucked in and released a deep breath before finally lifting her head. Her eyes were a bright shade of red and her face was wet from her tears. Her hair was sticking to her forehead and cheeks. Her lip quivered when her eyes rose up and met his. She bit down on her lower lip, so hard that it looked like she was drawing blood.

He brushed his fingertip along her forehead, moving her hair from her face and did the same for her cheeks. "Elizabeth, I didn't ask you to come here to tell you I have a thing for Claudia. I don't even like Claudia. He cupped her cheeks, I only love you, I only want you."

Her teeth released her now swollen lip and a flood of emotions flowed through her, relief mostly, and it left her in tears. She cried again as he continued in a tender voice, "That's why I wanted to meet you tonight. I didn't want you to get the wrong idea. She has a tendency to be abrupt and very forward but I am not interested in her… at all. God… it kills me that you are hurting so bad." He sighed and stood up, crossing the room to sit back on the couch. His head fell to his palms.

For a long time the room was filled with silence, neither knowing the right words to say to relieve the ache the other was feeling. Elizabeth finally collected herself and stood, moving to sit beside him. She smoothed her hair with her hands and stared at the wall in front of them. "I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong idea… and sorry I broke down. It's not fair for me to put all this on you."

He slid his hands from his face and looked over at her, "A-are you r-r-r-eally going to move?" he stuttered out.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders before turning to look at him. His eyes looked a little red and it almost looked as though he was crying as well. "I don't know what to do, it is obvious that this is not working out… for either of us."

He nodded his head. "But I don't want you to leave." She whispered so low that she barely heard the words.

Once his words settled in, frustration followed and she stood from the couch, throwing her hands up, "Well, I don't want to leave Jason!" she loudly grumbled. "What else are we going to do? We can't live like this Jason!" She turned back to face him. "We can't be miserable for the rest of our lives, not when we live so close and would be so happy together."

"We'll figure it out." Jason said.

She shook her head and threw her hands up, "Figure it out? Jason its been weeks, months and it has only gotten harder. I don't see you that often yet it feels like I love you more every day." She walked back over to the couch and plopped down beside him.

Jason leaned back and pulled her to him. She instinctively curled into his side. "I love you, and we will work this out, somehow learn how to live."

Elizabeth's bottom lips quivered, "I love you too, so much." She managed to say with a shaky voice.


	5. Chapter 5 hour 5

Chapter 5

Hour 5 - 1:00 AM

Claudia opened her laptop and accessed Google. She never really surfed the internet. She was not like so many others that shopped online or sent e-mails, preferring to do things in person… see what she was buying before she bought it and seeing reactions when she talked to people. She found e-mail to be so impersonal, not to mention traceable. She searched Elizabeth Webber then Liz Webber, both returning way too many results. She clicked on advanced search and read the help screens. After studying the art of web searches she typed "Elizabeth Webber" in quotes along with "Jason Morgan" immediately following, also in quotes.

A smile formed on her face when her results dropped to under one hundred. "See, Spinelli, it's not that hard." She said out loud to herself with a laugh. The first was a newspaper website, she could tell by the web address. The second had a summary that seemed to be a legal summary. She clicked on that one and it took her to the website for the city of Port Charles. It was the public records office's website and appeared to be court transcripts. The top of the page read, "The people of the City of Port Charles vs. Jason Morgan" and a few lines down read "Death of Lorenzo Alcazar".

Claudia had heard that not long before her family had shown interest in Port Charles, Jason had been on trial for murder. She found it interesting that Elizabeth had been included, somehow, and was surprised it had not come up when she had been told about the trial. For the next twenty minutes she skimmed through the transcript and concentrated when she got to the point that Elizabeth began her testimony. It turned out that Jason was visiting with her when he got this supposed call to kill Alcazar. She was about to leave the site and look at one of the other items Google found when something at the bottom of the page caught her attention, "sex". Her eyebrows raised and she focused again, reading more of the young nurse's testimony.

A short time later she sat, considering the different scenarios of what she had just read and seen earlier in the evening. It could be that Elizabeth and Jason are just friends with benefits, a subject that she was very knowledgeable on. However, the innocent nurse did not seem like the type to have a relationship like that. Just after her brief run-in and from what she read, nurse Elizabeth Webber seemed like a sweet woman. So another option would be that they were having a relationship and just did not want to make it public… but why would they hide it if there was nothing to hide? She was not wearing a wedding ring so the man she was married to must no longer be in the picture. Why hide it?

She reread the section where Rick asked her if baby Jake was Jason's. Sure, she was under oath but would she have lied? Why would she lie under oath unless…

Claudia tapped her fingernails on the desk. She had already admitted to having sex with Jason, why lie about the baby. She was obviously still involved with Jason, why hide it… because she was scared of the danger. That was the only reason Claudia could come up with. She leaned back in the chair and spoke out loud, "So, if they are scared to admit to their relationship in public then maybe they were too worried about the danger around a baby… especially after what had happened with Michael."

She still felt bad about Michael. This was something that she knew she now had to carry but when it came down to it, Ian pulled the trigger and should have used better judgment, waiting to take out Sonny when his son was not around.

Claudia did not dislike Jason, in fact she found him to be smart and honorable… not to mention good-looking. Because of that, she wanted to work with him, join the families and take down her father so she and John could effectively run the business. If Jason wanted to have a little woman and a family then, good for him, she thought, but she could not just sit on the information. She wanted to use it to get him to help her, if it was true… and there is only one way to find out.

* * *

Elizabeth woke and felt something she hadn't in a long time, Jason's arms around her. She was curled into his side, her feet tucked beneath her. He had an arm wrapped around her back and hand resting on her hip. His other hand was linked with one of hers. Tears formed in her already swollen eyes when she thought that this could be the last time they would be together like this. Her head finally lifted and she found his eyes, wide open, looking down at her. His eyes were intense and so full of emotion. Jason rarely spoke about his emotions and feelings but she could always read them through his eyes.

She vocalized what she knew they were both feeling and whispered, "I miss this." She could feel his hand tighten around hers and he breathed in a deep breath.

His hand moved from her hip and raked through her hair, "Me too."

Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip which was already red from its previous attack. "I don't want to leave."

"I know." Jason nodded and looked around the room, tensely looking for something to say. He knew that he should not have asked her to come here, he should have just said what he needed to say over the phone. Being back in the safe house was only going to make things hard for both of them all over again. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have call you to come here. It's not fair to you."

Elizabeth sat up and shook her head, "Jason… I am here, you are here… I… I want to see you here, whenever we can safely get away. Why can't we if no one will find out, ever. I feel safe when we are here and maybe it won't be as often as before but I want this Jason… I'll take as much as I can. I don't care if it is only a few hours a week or even a few hours each month, it's better then nothing."

Jason slumped forward, shaking his head.

"Don't you say no!" she hissed and stood. "This is my decision, you told me that if I called you would come… are you taking that back?" Her arms folded over her chest and she walked toward the fireplace then turned back to wait for his reply.

"You know that if you called me, I would come." He answered.

"Do you not want to?" she asked.

His head turned and his eyes met hers, "You know I want to."

"Well if we can figure out a way and it be safe, then why not?" her arms dropped to her side and she continued, "I'm not saying that I need you to claim Jake or even still marry me, I just need you… I want you. Maybe some day we can do everything else but for now if we can do this and be together, I don't care how often or where Jason." She could see him giving in. A little sparkle showed in his eyes. "Or I will just leave town."

Jason practically jumped off the couch. He walked slowly toward her, "Are you giving me an ultimatum?"

She shook her head, "Not at all, I am saying that I cannot go on how things are and if we don't try to work something out I cannot stay here without losing my mind. I cannot stay away. I find myself walking on the docks and sometimes even out driving the cliff roads, hoping that I may run into you, even though I know I shouldn't." She sighed and walked past him, sitting back on the couch. "Maybe I assume that if it is coincidence we can see each other and no one will think anything of it."

He turned back to the couch and sat on the coffee table in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Elizabeth, you need to really think about what you are saying."

"Jason, do you think I don't know what I am talking about? That we haven't been through this before… it's what we do. The danger, fear… the push and pull. This time you are pushing and I am not going to let you."

"I can't promise you anything…"

Elizabeth interrupted, "I don't want any promises, well I do… but I want you more."

Seconds later Jason and Elizabeth were frantically pulling clothes off each other. Jason had given her a shallow nod and she stood, kissed him and started to walk them toward the bedroom. His hands enjoyed the silkiness of her skin that he had never thought he would feel again. Their lips and tongues moved together with an urgency. Jason's legs hit the mattress and he finally pulled his lips from hers, both of them were gasping for air. "Are you sure?" he asked knowing that he would never be able to stop.

She answered him by placing her palm on his chest and firmly pushing him down on the bed.


	6. Chapter 6 hour 6

Chapter 6

Hour 6 - 2:00 AM

Jason's fingertips traced Elizabeth's spine sending a shiver through her body. "I missed this… us."

He was laying on his side facing her and she was laying on her side facing him. Her hand smoothed over the lines of his chest and stomach as his continued tracing her spine and continued over the curve of her bottom. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Me too."

She moved closer to his body, hooked her leg over his and an arm around his waist. Snuggling as close as possible she sighed and closed her eyes. He rolled onto his back, taking her with him so half of her body was draped over his.

"Do you have to leave?" she asked.

"No, what about the boys?"

"Lucky has them but I have to pick them up early." She said, angling her head so their eyes could meet.

Jason nodded and closed his eyes, obviously not wanting to talk about Lucky or the boys. Elizabeth felt the strain and tension instantly in his body. "I love you." She whispered and kissed his shoulder.

His eyes opened briefly to look at her, "I love you too."

For the next twenty minutes Elizabeth could feel herself drifting in and out of sleep. She was exhausted and although she wanted nothing more then to fall asleep in Jason's arms, she did not want to miss out on any time she could spend with him.

Jason jumped out of the bed and grumbled, "Stay here!" He pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. It wasn't until he had run out of the bedroom that she heard the knocking on the door.

Jason quickly ran to the Livingroom and grabbed his gun he had placed on the table beside the door. The sound of a knock from the door filled the room. He raised his gun and opened the door.

"Oh, nice gun." Claudia mocked. "I guess you aren't happy to see me?"

Jason stood, his gun still aimed at her, "What are you doing here?"

"Well my car broke down and this was the first house I saw."

Jason stood, stone faced. "How did you find me Claudia?"

"Let's just say that it is a small world." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"No!" he growled.

"So are you going to shoot me with that _big_ gun without even know why I am here?" she asked angling her head. "Or better yet, without knowing who else knows that I am here?"

Jason lowered the gun to his side but never removed his finger from the trigger. She pushed past him. "I see your bike in the driveway but who's car is that? You don't exactly look like the sedan type."

Jason stood there, his eyes glaring at her.

"Oh, you don't look very happy. Am I interrupting something?" she bent her head and peeked down the hallway but Jason grabbed her arm. She pulled her arm from his and stepped back a few feet.

"Claudia, you need to leave and never come back here." Jason ordered.

"Oh, now you have really peeked my interest. Who do you have stashed in here?" She taunted as she looked around the room.

Jason noticed her eyes stop on the small purse on the table. He again lifted his gun. "Once again, you need to leave… RIGHT NOW!" he said growing more agitated.

"What you hiding mister mob enfor… I mean boss?" She crossed the room and stared at the easel covered in a sheet in the corner. "You know, since I got in town I knew there was something you were hiding, I just never knew what it was… till now." She looked over her shoulder at him and saw the gun pointed at her, "I'd lower that if I were you. Don't you want to know what I have to say before you kill me?"

"You can talk but I am not lowering it. Say what you have to say and leave."

She flipped her hair and clasped her hands in front of her as she took a few steps toward him. "I like that about you, right down to business… down and dirty."

Jason continued looking at her in disgust.

"Obviously you are not interested and have other entertainment." She snickered. "I just came here to tell you that the jig is up. I know what you are hiding and I want to know what it is worth to you for me to keep your little secret."

* * *

Another short chapter but I promise the sht is going to hit the fan over the next few hours. Thanks for the positive feedback and thoughts!!


	7. Chapter 7 Hour 7

Chapter 7

Hour 7 - 3:00 AM

Elizabeth could hear the anger in Jason's voice. Just a couple hours ago she had thought that Jason had feelings for the woman that had just discovered their secure place to escape together. They were arguing and Claudia was hinting around the subject, waiting for Jason to tell her who else was in the house. She stood in the doorway in her pink robe and listened until she heard Claudia mention that Jason had a gun pointed at her.

She walked down the short hall and stood, still listening.

Claudia was standing a few feet from Jason, he was sitting in the armchair, his gun still aimed at her but resting in his hand on the arm of the chair as Claudia finally explained what she discovered. "You know, you really should look closer to see if you are being followed. You never know who is watching."

Jason's eyes were dark and they lifted to meet hers. "Claudia…"

She interrupted him and continued, "You see, the cat is out of the bag and thanks to the influence of Spinelli, I did a little jackaling myself. The information is out there, you just need someone else that has the reasoning skills that I have been blessed with to figure it all out."

Jason stood from the chair, gun still aimed at her and finally saw around Claudia, spotting Elizabeth standing in the far corner of the room. Claudia immediately noticed his distraction and followed his gaze, turning to face Elizabeth. She immediately noticed the robe as well as her untidy hair.

Claudia's lips turned up, "Well, well, how you doing cookie?"

Elizabeth crossed her arms protectively over her chest but stayed silent.

"Who would have known that big bad Jason Morgan had a thing for sweet, innocent nurses." She said and noticed Jason lowering his gun but keeping it in his hand. "So tell me, is he as good as I think he is because he is one fine man. I mean his body is godlike."

Elizabeth looked at her with disgust, "You bitch."

Claudia laughed, "Harsh words, maybe I was wrong… was it bad? I was beginning to think that Jason didn't like women, turns out that he just goes for the petite, angelic type. I wish I would have known, I would have worn my halo."

"Claudia!" Jason howled. "Leave now!" he ordered.

Claudia shook her head, "Quite the little love nest you have here. Do you meet here for a quickie then go back to your very different lives where no one is the wiser. No… no, it doesn't stop here does it? You seem to think you can pull the wool over everyone's eyes. Believe me, I understand the intent and reasoning behind it."

Jason crossed the room and stood beside Elizabeth but a step in front of her, almost as though he was guarding her. "Y-you don't know what you are talking about." Elizabeth fired.

"Claudia, I am only going to say this one more time, leave now!" Jason rumbled.

"Just one more question before I leave." She stepped toward them and looked at Elizabeth. "Tell me something cookie, does your little boy have his daddy's gorgeous sapphire eyes?"

Elizabeth took a few steps forward, "You stay away from my boys." She howled.

Claudia raised her hands, "Look, I am not here to threaten anyone. The last thing anyone needs is for another innocent child getting caught in the crossfire." She took a few steps back from Elizabeth and sat in the arm chair. "My problem is that I have this information… well maybe its all of our problem. Maybe you can help me out and in return I can help you both out and do everything in my control to keep your secret. You see it only took me a few hours to figure this all out, imagine what would happen if this information got into the wrong hands."

Jason raised his gun and pointed it at Claudia. "That's enough, Elizabeth, go ahead and go, I will handle this." Jason ordered.

Elizabeth looked back at Jason with fear in her eyes. She was afraid of the secret coming out, afraid for Jake's safety and afraid what Jason was about to do would land him in jail… or worse. "Jason, wait." She whispered then turned back to Claudia. "What do you want from us?"

Claudia smoothed her palms over her thighs, "Jason knows what I want."

Elizabeth looked back at Jason and raised her eyebrows. He responded by nodding to both of them.

"Well then, all you have to do is do the job and in my new position I will ensure that your family is safe. In the end we all win, cookie here will be safe, your little blue eyed bundle of joy will be safe and the two of you can screw till your little hearts are content… and I will finally be rid of my father."

"Wait…" Elizabeth said, processing what Claudia was saying. "Do you want Jason to kill your father?"

Claudia bent to look at Jason around Elizabeth's body, "She's quick." She mocked.

"Fuck you!" Elizabeth hissed.

"Whoa, a little spitfire. Look honey, why don't you sit down so me and Jason can do some talking. See, the thing is that Jason wants to kill my father but right now is hell bent on breaking the violence after what happened with Sonny's kid. The problem there is that my father feels that violence solves any problem. So, kill my father and Jason can have his peace."

"That's enough!" Jason growled. "This all ends tonight."


	8. Chapter 8 Hour 8

Chapter 8

Hour 8 - 4:00 AM

A silence filled the room. Elizabeth and Claudia both waited for Jason to talk again but he didn't. Elizabeth could see that he was processing everything and trying to figure out his next move. "The thing is, Claudia… if you want your father dead, why don't you kill him yourself?" Elizabeth asked.

"You see sweetheart, I am not a killer. Not everyone is as skilled as Jason, actually he has this reputation that he is the best."

"And what if Jason doesn't do it? Are you going to tell everyone, even your father, about me and Jason?"

"And the love child, don't forget about him." Claudia added.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed, "So you would tell everyone about us, putting my children in danger?"

Claudia did not answer so Elizabeth continued. "I thought you were against putting children and innocent lives in danger… why would you purposely put me and my sons in danger… after everything that happened with Michael."

"Maybe I wouldn't tell anyone but maybe I may plant a seed somewhere for the information to come out if anyone were to dig a little." Claudia implied.

"That does not add up. I think you are bluffing." Elizabeth pointed out. Claudia opened her mouth to speak but Elizabeth continued, "See you walked in here and flat out said that you don't want any more innocent children to be harmed but now you, in a way, are doing just that by threatening to expose my children to that danger. So which is it? Why are you here?"

"Well I…" Claudia started but stopped when Jason's cell phone rang.

"Stonecold!"

"What do you want Spinelli?"

"Well Stonecold, I have uncovered a rather immense lead. You see the Jackal returned from the prison of General Hospital well rested and prepared to battle the stockades of cyberspace."

Jason rolled his wrist in circles as Spinelli rambled about his night. "Just tell me what you found Spinelli."

"It seems that the Jackal had discovered that the shooter of young Michael was a former associate of Jerry Jax, aka James Craig."

"Jerry and Devlin?" Jason asked.

"Yes, you see the Jackal discovered, when searching random flight manifests with Ian Devlin listed, there have been quite a few that both dark spirits were listed. Of course at times Ferry Jax was listed but typically the pseudonym of James Craig was listed as a passenger."

"So you think they were working together?" Jason asked.

"Well, somewhat. It seems that the dark Aussie was mainly a broker in that currency was wired to his account from areas still unidentified by the Jackal. So fundamentally Jerry was employed and he subcontracted the hit to Ian."

"Find out where Jerry got the money to pay Ian. Good job Spinelli."

"The grasshopper is happy to be of assistance in finding the dark forces behind the shooting of young Michael."

"Call me when you have it." Jason said then closed his phone.

Claudia had been listening intently to everything Jason was saying into the phone. She grew more and more uncomfortable as his conversation with Spinelli had continued.

"Sounds like you are close to finding out who hired Devlin." Claudia stated.

"Worried?" Jason asked in an accusatory tone.

"No, I just may not have to keep trying to persuade you to kill my father, I believe soon you will do it on your own."

Jason shrugged, "You sound very sure of yourself. If only it made sense."

"What do you mean?" Claudia asked.

Claudia and Elizabeth listened closely as Jason spoke. "Why would your father hire Devlin, or Jerry for that matter. He has dozens of men working for him that could have done the job. Why would he hire someone from outside his organization, someone he does not trust, do kill Sonny. That is an important hit, one that you do not just give o anyone."

Claudia angled her head, "Well he didn't want it traced back to him."

"Why not? If he had ordered a hit on Sonny then Anthony would want everyone to know that he had taken out the head of the Corinthos Organization, then he would sweep in and try to take it. Had he actually ordered the hit on Michael, then I can see hiding it but it is obvious that the shot was taken on Sonny and the bullet ricocheted."

"I like that about you, you don't just act on impulse, at least not when it comes to business." Claudia added looking over at Elizabeth who was watching and listening closely. "Truth is that I do not know the reasoning why my father hired him, but he did and you will know that for sure soon enough."

Jason's eyes bore into her, "Well then, I guess we are done here." He walked over to the door and opened it then stared at Claudia, waiting for her to leave.

"I'm not leaving, not until you either get the proof that my father hired Devlin or until you agree to take care of my father. Remember that I am the one that came to you, you want your son to be safe, don't you?"

"This is getting ridiculous, we are going in circles here. It is obvious that you are not going to tell anyone about Jake, so just leave." Elizabeth said.

Claudia shook her head, "I am not leaving yet so you might as well make yourself comfortable sweetie."


	9. Chapter 9 Hour 9

Chapter 9

Hour 9 - 5:00 AM

"I'm hungry, where is the kitchen in this place?" Claudia stood from the arm chair. "No doubt you both are too. I am sure you worked up quite an appetite."

"Claudia, Stop!" Jason yelled. "Stop with the comments, stop harassing Elizabeth, stop threatening anyone that is close to me, stop the flirting… just stop!" Jason walked over to Elizabeth and continued, "This is ending right now." He motioned for Elizabeth to move to the side to talk to him privately.

Claudia watched as they moved to the opposite corner of the room, standing halfway in the hall. They were speaking in a low voice but still watched their interaction closely.

Jason's voice was low, as close to a whisper as he can get. "It's late. Do you have to get the boys this morning?"

"Yes, Lucky has an early shift." She whispered.

"Go ahead and go, take the boys home."

She shook her head, "I'm not leaving without you."

"Please, I will feel much better if you are home with the boys. I will deal with Claudia… she will not tell anyone. Please do not worry."

"How can I not worry Jason?" Elizabeth asked, brushing her hand along his forearm. "I worry about you every day." Her eyes locked with his, "And I don't want to see you hurt or in trouble… and she is trouble. I don't know her, I don't want to know her but I know you do and I can see it in your eyes. You think she is a loose cannon don't you?"

Jason wet his lips before answering her. "I will never and would never do anything to jeopardize your safety. I also don't want to cause you any more pain they I already have so I promise that I will be careful." His hand found his and he twined his fingers through hers. "Please go home and be with the boys. Get some rest and let me handle Claudia. It will be ok, I promise."

She stood silently looking into his eyes. She was looking for doubt or fear but she did not find it. She nibbled on her bottom lip and nodded. His hand squeezed hers and she disappeared down the hallway. Minutes later she reappeared dressed in her scrubs and her hair had been neatly pulled back in a ponytail. He stopped her just out of Claudia's line of vision. "Thank you for meeting me. Sorry the way things worked out."

She shook her head, "I'm glad you called." She brushed her hand through his hair as he leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was gentle and full of emotion just as all of his kisses were. "I love you." Her hand cupped his face and she whispered, "This doesn't change anything Jason." Her lips brushed against his one last time. "Call me later ok?"

He nodded, "I love you."

Elizabeth was worried that Jason was going to kill Claudia once she walked out the door. She was also worried if he didn't that she would tell everyone about Jake. She had arrived prepared to hear Jason tell her that he wanted Claudia. Now, as she was leaving, she was having completely different emotions.

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked to the door. She turned back and looked at Claudia then at him one last time before closing the door behind her. The instant the door closed Claudia stood from the chair and crossed the room toward Jason.

"Alone at last." She said seductively.

Jason crossed his hands over his chest and his mind instantly focused on the gun he had tucked in the rear waistband of his pants.

"Whatever are we going to do?" she asked suggestively.

Jason looked at the clock on the wall and it read 5:30 A.M. He knew that the sunrise would be very soon, limiting the possibilities of dumping a body.

"Tell me, what are you willing to do to keep your secret?"

Ignoring her still, he realized that he had his bike and not his SUV. He could call Max or Milo to come and take care of her, then his hands would never even get dirty. He could just leave and call he bluff, hoping she would not tell anyone what she now knew. He had a pretty good idea that she would not tell anyone but it was not a gamble that he was willing to take. She continued rambling but he blocked her out, walked past her and sat in the armchair. He chose the chair because he knew if he sat on the couch that she would sit beside him. If she sat beside him, he knew there would be a high possibility that she would touch him and the thought repulsed him.

For quite a while Jason sat there completely silent. His mind was taking time to process all the information and figure out his next step.

"So what is it going to be?" Claudia asked.

"What is what going to be?" Jason asked.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to kill my father?"

Jason looked at her, a grave look in his eyes, "Why don't I kill you, then kill him. That would solve all my problems."

* * *

Yay! thank you all for the feedback, love you all!!


	10. Chapter 10 Hour 10

Chapter 10

Hour 10 - 6:00 AM

Elizabeth walked into the Spencer house to pick up the boys. She had made a quick pit stop at home to change her clothes because she knew that if Lucky had seen her still in scrubs he would know something was up.

"Hey, I didn't expect you so early, I haven't even gotten the boys up yet." Lucky said as he came down the steps.

"I was awake so I figured I would come over early since I left them with you last night… and I missed them."

"Are you ok?" Lucky asked. "You said you didn't feel well last night and you still look a little under the weather."

Elizabeth chuckled, "Is that your way of saying that I look like shit?" Lucky shook his head and she continued, "I didn't sleep real well and I guess I'm just still a little sick."

Lucky pointed up the stairs, in the direction of the bedroom where the boys were sleeping. "Do you want me to just drop them off at Audrey's or daycare so you can go home and rest some more?"

"Oh, no, I'll be fine. I just want to go home and spend my day off with the boys… maybe go to the park."

Lucky knew that she could be stubborn so he did not push the subject. He helped her wake the boys up, dress them and load them into the car, both still half asleep. "If you change your mind I can swing by on my break and take them for you." Lucky offered as he closed the door to her car.

"Thank you Lucky but, really, I am fine."

He accepted her words and went back into his house. Elizabeth sat in the drivers seat of he car and wished she believed what she had just said. She was nowhere near fine and could not stop worrying about what was happening back at the Safe house. Claudia seemed like a loose cannon, not caring much who she hurt or if she herself even got hurt. Elizabeth just hoped that she had correctly rationalized the situation and Claudia would not put any innocent children in danger. Sure Anthony had a history of going after the families of his enemies but there was something about Claudia that told her that she wouldn't.

* * *

Spinelli had been working for hours and was finally growing tired but he fought it. He felt that he was so close to finding the source of the wire transfer. He had looked at so many account numbers that he was starting to lose focus. He stood from the couch and stretched his arms as high as he could reach. "Oh, the sugary rush of a frosty orange soda could aid in my alertness." He said out loud, to himself, then rushed in the kitchen and ran back to the couch. He managed a few big gulps from the bottle then coughed when one of them went down the wrong pipe. Orange soda spattered on his laptop and he groaned in frustration. Minutes later he had his soda mess cleaned up and was once again revitalized from his coughing mishap. He went back to searching anonymous offshore account information, hacking through ironclad firewalls in an attempt to uncover the identity of the account holder on the account that was the source of the wire transfer to Jerry Jax's account.

The accounts he was accessing were set up with complete anonymity which made it much harder to discover the account holder… but there was always a way such as a digital signature or random wire transfer from an account from a U.S. bank. So far he had located the bank, it was a small bank in the Cayman Islands and the account had been opened about two weeks before the attempted hit on Sonny. Now that he had located the account it would not be much longer before he had the guilty party.

* * *

"So, you think that you can kill me, kill my father and your problems will be solved? What about my brother? Are you going to throw him into the mix?" Claudia asked.

Jason shrugged and did not change his grave expression. "Nah, your brother thinks rationally, unlike your father and you."

"You think you would get away with that. The police would be on you so quick."

Jason shook his head and moved to stand in front of the door. His arms were crossed over his chest as though he was obstructing her exit. "See you don't understand what I am saying Claudia." Jason spat. "Yes I cared deeply for Michael, I raised him when he was a baby. And I WILL find out who was behind the shooting… and I WILL handle that situation." He paused and his eyes darkened even more. "But you see Jake, he IS my son. If anything or anyone hurts or even threatens him… I will not just kill them but I will torture them. They… you… well, if you are threatening my son… you will wish I had pulled the trigger and killed you tonight. That would be easy compared to what I would put you through. You don't know the least bit of what I am capable of."

Claudia stood and crossed the room to where he was standing. She was slightly shaken by the earnestness of his words but tried to hide it. He saw the apprehension in her eyes as she spoke. "I don't doubt that you would kill anyone who threatened you family. I would do the same for my brother. I can see that you are a passionate and loyal man. You may try to hide it but believe it or not, we are a lot alike. We put up this front like we don't care about anyone or anything… no mercy, no feelings. But deep down all we want is what everyone else has and we know we will never have it. Just kill my father and we can all have exactly what we want."

She could see that he was thinking. She was not sure if he was thinking about killing her father or just trying to figure out how to kill her right then. Yes, she wanted her father dead but at this point she needed him to do it so she could have it to hold over his head if and when he discovered that she was behind the botched hit on Sonny. She had covered her tracks well and ensured that nothing could ever be traced back to her or Johnny. She hoped that the trail that was left would point exactly where she wanted it to.

"I will kill your father if you agree to leave town… and NEVER come back."


	11. Chapter 11 Hour 11

Chapter 11

Hour 11 - 7:00 AM

Johnny opened the door and his father was on the other side in his wheelchair. His guard pushed him into the apartment that was share by Johnny and Claudia.

"What are you doing here so early?" Johnny asked, slightly annoyed. The knocking on the door had woken him up from a sound sleep. He stood with his arms crossed, wearing only a pair of flannel pants. He kicked the door shut with his foot and leaned on the back of the couch waiting for his answer.

"I am here to talk your your sister. Go wake her up." Anthony ordered.

"She's not here." Johnny answered abruptly.

Anthony smiled, "I wonder whose bed she is in today… Corinthos… Morgan… oh, maybe my new guard Andre that she has been drooling over."

Johnny glared at his father.

"What?" Anthony asked. "I came over here to see how she was feeling after being quarantined with Morgan and that computer nerd… and I was wondering why she chose to disobey me."

"How did she disobey you?"

"She had the perfect opportunity, I told her to off Morgan and she didn't. It is obvious that she is sleeping with him." He groaned.

"She is not sleeping with Jason!" Johnny said in a frustrated growl. "I'll be right back, let me go get dressed and I will try to find out where she is."

Johnny retreated from the Livingroom and slid through his bedroom door. Lulu was still laying in the bed half asleep, waiting for him o return to her. "I have to run." Johnny said as he threw a t-shirt on. "My father is here, just let yourself out after we leave."

Back in the Livingroom, Anthony was complaining to his guard about how small Johnny and Claudia's apartment was. "You can barely move around in here. They aren't peasants, they surely can afford a larger apartment." He rolled his wheelchair around picking up random items around the room. He looked at a vase that was on a shelf and mumbled "Cheap." As he placed it back in its place. He made similar comments as he moved across the room. He push a button on the computer that was sitting on the coffee table. "These ridiculous toys. Doesn't anyone communicate normal anymore… face to face. It's all e-mail and blah blah blah. I prefer face-to-face communication." He looked over at the computer screen as the light came to life on it. "Oh, I must have done something." He said laughing.

He looked away from the screen but before he did something caught his eye, two words, 'Jason Morgan'. Once he comprehended Morgan's name he turned back and read what was displayed on the screen. "Carl, how do I read what comes next?" Anthony asked.

Carl walked over, scrolled the page down and stepped back as Anthony continued reading the text on the screen. "I need my reading glasses. This is hard to see." Anthony complained by Carl just shrugged. "What good are you… this is good stuff you know. Well, I remember hearing about this a long time ago but somehow had let it slip my mind. I think I need to pay a visit to Rick, I remember that he was married to this Webber girl at one time. Perhaps he can fill in the blanks."

Johnny re-entered the Livingroom and Anthony continued his mumbling banter. "Looks like with Morgan in charge now, we need to evaluate his personal life a little better. He set my house on fire, he will pay." Anthony pointed to the door and Carl quickly moved and grabbed the handles of his wheelchair. He pushed him to the door. "Johnny, I expect to hear from Claudia as soon as you find her." He said over his shoulder as they left.

* * *

"I'm not leaving town, I just got here." Claudia spat.

"I don't trust you Claudia. You think I am going to take your word on it?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Have I given you any reason not to trust me?"

He raised his eyebrows silently asking her if she was joking.

"If you do this then I promise you that our families will align and you have my word… I am sure my brother will agree. He has respect for you. We would just need to deal with Trevor but don't worry about him, I can handle him, I have before."

"You know, you keep telling me that Anthony was behind Michaels shooting but you have yet to provide proof."

Claudia looked at him, "I told you that I would get you proof."

"Don't worry about it, I will get it on my own.. whether it was your father or not." He said suspiciously. "See, it is none of my business why you would want your father dead. I really don't care… but, why me?"

"You are the best."

"So you have said. I think it is a little coincidental that you know I am after the person, or people behind the shooting and you have been pushing that it was Anthony. And you just happen to have asked me to kill him before." He shook his head. "I assure you that I will not act until I have proof, clear-cut, legitimate proof."

"I like that about you. You are very calculated…. You think before you act."

Jason glared at her, "Not always."

"From the phone call earlier it sounded like Spinelli is close to finding out who hired Ian."

"Worried?"

"No." She quickly answered then paused for a moment when her cell phone rang. She checked the display screen and saw that Johnny was calling her. Choosing not to answer it, the phone stopped ringing and seconds later it chirped indicating that she had a voice mail.

"I think it is about time that you leave. I will be in touch, one way or another."

Claudia was worried, things had not worked out as she had expected. Her leverage against Jason did not seem to be working. Could he tell that she was bluffing, she wondered. After what had happened with Michael there was not doubt in her mind that she would not endanger the life of another child or innocent life. "Fine, I will leave but my offer is only on the table for today, after that… all bets are off." She said and walked toward the door where Jason was standing. He reached out and grabbed her arm.

"I hope that was not a threat."

She jerked her arm but his grip was strong. He held her arm just above her elbow for a few seconds longer as his eyes grew even darker and glared at her. His expression was stone and emotionless as he threatened her without words before finally releasing her. Silently, he stepped aside to give her just enough room to squeeze out the door. She left, silently hoping she could construct proof to show Jason that her father was behind the shooting. She had covered her tracks well but Spinelli was the best and if she had slipped up in the least bit, he would probably find it.


	12. Chapter 12 Hour 12

Chapter 12

Hour 12 - 8:00 AM

"What brings you here so early Anthony?" Rick asked.

"I've come to talk about your ex-wife." Anthony mumbled.

Rick's head quickly turned in Anthony's direction. "I said before that Alexis is no help to your business. She is very honorable and would never…"

Anthony cut him off, "Noooo, I mean your other ex-wife."

Rick furrowed his brows, "Elizabeth?"

Anthony nodded, "It seems that she is a person of interest that we have, until now, overlooked. I asked before if you think she would be beneficial to us and you disagreed. Now, I am going to have to disagree with your disagreement."

Rick shook his head and quickly spoke, "No."

Anthony folded his hands in his lap, "Please convince me because from where I stand, she seems to be very important to Jason Morgan. That little boy of hers could be just as beneficial."

"Jake?"

"Is that his name, whatever."

"Elizabeth said, under oath, that Jake is not Jason's son, he is Detective Spencer's. Elizabeth is a smart woman and also very honest. She would not commit perjury for Jason Morgan."

"I beg to differ Rick. She may not commit perjury for Mr. Morgan but perhaps she would for that young boy. I know that I would do anything to protect my son and I am sure that as a mother Ms. Webber would do the same. Would you lie to protect your daughter Rick? Remember where your loyalty is. Is it with me or with Mr. Webber?"

"Don't doubt my loyalty Anthony." Rick shot at him. "Elizabeth is not involved with Jason and other then their night together have had nothing but friendship. There are many people in this town that are Jason's friends, she is no different."

Anthony scrunched his face and nodded his head. "See there is more to this. You know, the night of that party on Spoon Island, the one where I took that nasty fall… Well, I remember barely any of it but it is slowly coming back to me. I remember before I fell all that distance I was having a little fun with Ms. Webber." Anthony laughed wickedly. "See, she was standing on the wall, the one I fell over. It seems that Mr. Morgan suddenly appeared and put his own life on the line for her. He told me he would die for her or something like that. Maybe he didn't say it directly, it doesn't matter. Point here, Lansing, is that not just any friend would selflessly put their life on the line like that. I think our Morgan has a thing for Ms. Webber and I would not doubt that the feeling is mutual."

"A lot of things happened that night Anthony. My brother also saved my life which was out of character for him, so I wouldn't bet the hand on his actions."

Anthony nodded, "Why would it be that my daughter was researching them as well, if nothing was there. I have pushed this to the side because of your advice but now I am not to sure. You have yet to give me a good reason. I think you are just trying to protect your ex. Although I don't know why, women are nothing but lying cheating whores."

"Not Elizabeth." Rick stated simply. "I think we should not explore that any further, it would be a waste of time."

Anthony nodded his head from side to side, "Differing opinions… I'll think about it." Anthony motion toward the door and his guard quickly moved to push his wheelchair. "I'll see myself out. I'll let you know what I decide."

Once Anthony was gone Rick thought about his next move, grabbed his car keys and ran out the door.

* * *

"Stonecold!" Spinelli blurted into the phone.

Jason had just gotten in his car and pulled onto the highway. "Spinelli did you find something?"

"Yes, it took much searching and cross checking but the identity of the individual that employed Mr. Jax to employ evil Devlin is…"

"Wait, I'll be there in ten minutes. Show me all the proof and who it is then."

* * *

"Mama, are you sick?" Cameron asked as Elizabeth poured milk in his cereal.

"No baby, mommy is just tired. I didn't sleep very well last night. Did you have fun at daddy's?" Elizabeth asked changing the subject.

Cameron rambled on about playing with matchbox cars and watching movies. He started telling her what happens in the movie _Cars_ when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it from the counter and saw that it was Jason.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey, are you ok?"

She nodded and said, "Yea, you?"

"I will be. Just stay put and don't worry, I already called Max and put a guard on you just in case but I don't think Claudia will make a move. I have to take care of a few things and I will call you in a little bit."

"Ok, please be careful."

Jason nodded, "I will. I love you."

Elizabeth looked over at the boys, "Me too."

Twenty minutes later Elizabeth was sitting on the floor playing with Jake and Cameron. Cameron was showing her how he can launch his matchbox cars off the table and make them fly across the room. He laugh hysterically each time he did it. Jake was sitting in her lap with a bright colored toy phone that was making a ringing sound. When the ringing sound stopped she heard a knock on the door. She stood, taking Jake across the room and peeked though the window. With a huff she opened the door. "What are you doing here Rick?"


	13. Chapter 13 Hour 13

Chapter 13

Hour 13 - 9:00 AM

"Where the hell have you been?" Johnny howled as Claudia came through the door to their apartment. "I've been calling your cell, why haven't you answered?"

"I had something to take care of." She said with a shrug as she threw her keys on the table.

"Well dad was here this morning. He was furious that you hadn't called him after being quarantined with Jason. Why didn't you tell me that he told you to kill Jason?"

Claudia rolled her eyes, "He wanted me to kill him and at this point I don't think that would be beneficial for us. A mob war will not solve any of our problems Johnny. Daddy doesn't think logically."

"I know that but he thinks that killing the competition is the only way to deal with them."

Claudia rolled her eyes and plopped down on the couch. She sat for a while thinking about everything that had happened. She wasn't sure if she should tell Johnny about the information she had uncovered on Jason. The more people that knew, the more of a chance of it getting out. There was no doubt in her mind that Jason would stick to his promise and kill anyone that threatened his son or Elizabeth. "Um, Johnny… were you on the computer this morning?" She asked when she looked at the computer, saw that it was on and was still displaying the page with the court transcripts.

Johnny looked at her and shook his head, "Why?"

"Did daddy see this?" she asked pointing at the computer screen.

Johnny shrugged, "I don't know, I went in to get dressed and came out and he was gone, why?" He walked over and glanced at the computer screen.

Claudia's stomach suddenly turned in knots. "Shit Johnny. Because if he did then I am dead." Claudia jumped up and began pacing around the room as she mumbled to herself, "Maybe he didn't see it and even if he did it doesn't mean that he was able to put it all together. He doesn't even know them and he didn't see what I saw."

"Damnit Claudia, what are you talking about?"

Claudia sat on the couch and started explaining everything to Johnny all the way from the hospital to following Jason and seeing him with Elizabeth, doing the research, figuring it out, going back to their safe house and confronting them. "And if daddy does know, he is not just going to sit on this information Johnny. Jason will kill me if it gets out."

"Damnit Claudia, we should have talked about this before you went to Jason. There were better ways to handle such information. Jason is not going to kill you, although trying to blackmail him probably pissed him off." He took a deep breath, "Ok, calm down, I will go find dad and talk to him to see what he knows." Johnny stopped at the door. "If he figured it out then I think he would tell me so don't worry, I will stop him."

* * *

"What are you doing here Rick?"

"I need to ask you a question."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "You could have called." She stepped aside so Rick could walk into the house. "Cam, why don't you go upstairs and play with the trains in your room."

"Can I take my cars up there too?"

Elizabeth smiled and nodded then watched as Cam loaded his hands with his small cars and ran up the stairs. With Jake on her hip she turned back to Rick, "What was so important that you had to come all the way over here to ask me in person?"

"I know that you probably don't want to answer this, especially coming from me but I need to know if Jake is Jason's." Rick said and saw her expression quickly change to alarm. "Look I am no longer the D.A. and would never and could never prosecute you. I just need to know."

"You need to know? Why would you need to know? Why would you ask me a question like that? I think you should leave Rick, now!" Elizabeth ordered walking back towards the door.

Rick looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes then he looked down at Jake. He examined his blonde hair, which neither Liz or Lucky had blonde hair, his blue eyes that looked more like Jason and his grandmother's then Elizabeth's and his pouty lips, obviously from Elizabeth. In just one minute of observation, almost a year of question suddenly was answered. "You don't have to say it, I know Elizabeth. My god he is a spitting image of Jason, I can't believe I never noticed before. I guess I believed what you said up there on the stand that day." He sighed, "Look, I am not here to fight with you or tell you what a mistake all this is. I am here because Anthony Zacharra came to my house this morning and was asking questions about you. He has a big hunch that Jake is Jason's and is looking to use you as leverage against him."

"What!" Elizabeth screeched, half angry and the other half scared.

"I guess he was able to put the pieces together too."

Elizabeth shook her head, "No, Claudia did… last night she saw me with Jason and… oh god." Elizabeth whispered as she carried Jake over to his play mat and set him down.

"I'm sorry Elizabeth, I never should have gotten him out. He should be rotting in that hospital but I wanted to get back at my father so bad. If I had known…" he trailed off. They stood silent for a few minutes. The only sounds were that of Jake squirming in her arms. "I know why you did it. I understand."

"Oh, I feel so much better that I have your approval Rick!" Elizabeth spat at him in a low but firm voice then threw her hands in the air. "Do you know what this means?"

Rick nodded, "It certainly explains why you and Jason can't seem to stay away from each other."

Elizabeth glared at him, "As I have said before, my relationship with Jason is none of your business."

"He is now the mob boss so his life is even less safe for a child."

"The whole reason that we told everyone that he was Lucky's was to protect him because of the danger in Jason's life. We decided that even before Michael's shooting, before Jake was born. We did not want to lie Rick! I'd give anything for Jake to know his father… his real father. I can't believe Claudia told him."

"In her defense, I don't think she told him. He didn't really say how but he found out that she had been looking into it."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Oh well I feel better." She said sarcastically.

"Well anyway…" Rick said as he turned back toward the door. "I was just coming over here as a friend to give you a heads up and to ask you to be careful. We may have done a lot to each other, more me to you but I don't want you to get hurt… or your boys."

Elizabeth nodded and Rick left. She looked over at Jake playing contently on the floor and reached for her cell phone. It went right to Jason's voicemail. She left him a message, "Jason, Rick was just here… he knows… he thinks Anthony Zacharra knows. I don't know what to do." She paused then continued, "Please call me as soon as possible."

She hung up the phone then sunk down to the floor, trembling.


	14. Chapter 14 Hour 14

Chapter 14

Hour 14 - 10:00 AM

Quite some time later, Elizabeth finally peeled herself off the floor. Luckily Jake had been playing contently on his activity mat and Cameron remained in his room still playing with his trains and cars. Elizabeth began pacing around the Livingroom clutching her cell phone in her hand. It had been close to a half hour and Jason had yet to call her back. She looked down at the phone in her hand and opened it to check for messages, ensure she had a signal and to check the battery life. All was good, why hadn't he called back?

Elizabeth didn't know what to do. She opened her phone again and dialed the number to the Penthouse. She was relieved when she heard a voice on the other end of the line.

"Spinelli!" she blurted into the phone. "It's Elizabeth."

"Maternal one, you have called for Stonecold?" Spinelli asked.

"Yea, Spinelli, can I talk to him? It is an emergency."

"Regretfully he is not here. He left just over an hour ago."

Elizabeth sighed, "Do you know where he went. This really is an emergency."

"He had some vital information which required further investigation."

"Spinelli, this is really, really important. If you see or hear from him can you please have him call me immediately?"

"Without a doubt maternal, may I ask if I can be of assistance?" Spinelli asked. He could tell that there truly was an emergency by the urgency in her voice.

"Spinelli I know you know everything that has been happening lately but it looks like we aren't going to be hiding everything much longer but I really need to talk to Jason."

"I will do all I can to relay the information to Stonecold."

"Thank you Spinelli." Elizabeth said then closed her phone. She had been pacing the Livingroom again while she was talking to Spinelli and noticed Max stationed in her driveway sitting in a large black SUV. She picked up Jake then opened the door, Jake resting on her hip. She waved her hand motioning for Max to come over to where she stood in the doorway.

"Elizabeth, how are you doing? I'm sorry but Jason told me I had to stay…"

She cut him off, "No, it's fine that you are here. I need to get in touch with Jason, it's really important."

Max shook his head, "He is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed."

Elizabeth curiously angled her head but did not want to press for more information. "Ok well it really is important. How long have you been out there?"

"Not too long." He answered matter-of-factly.

"Did you see Rick Lansing here earlier?"

Max nodded but did not offer an opinion. Elizabeth continued, "Look, I don't know how much you know about me and Jason… and Jake." Max continued listening without a response but his expression told her that he knew it all even if no one had told him. "I figure you at least knew some of it, Jason said that you helped him with the Safe house. Anyway Anthony Zacharra knows and so does Claudia but Jason knows about Claudia."

Max nodded, "Yes, that is why Jason sent me over, he said that Claudia was threatening you."

"It's not her that I am worried about. Rick told me that Anthony is looking to use us as leverage and that we basically are in danger."

Max nodded, "I assure you, Elizabeth, as soon as Jason is out of his meeting he will be in touch. In the meantime you are safe, I will make sure of that."

Elizabeth rested her chin against the top of Jake's head, "Thank you Max."

* * *

"So this is the plan…" Anthony said in his long drawn out voice. "We need to move quickly, before Morgan gets wind of the fact that we know anything."

Anthony was sitting at his desk, his top three men sitting in the room along with Trevor Lansing. "This all has to happen today."

Trevor nodded, "I understand the urgency Anthony but are we sure this is what we want to do. Once we make this move there is no turning back and Morgan will show no mercy. He already tried to burn down your house. Are we sure this information is accurate."

"Are you telling me that I am wrong Trevor?" Anthony asked. Trevor made no move to answer him. "I didn't think so. The evidence is circumstantial, I am not one hundred percent positive but I am eighty percent sure that I am right and that is good enough for me." Anthony threw his hands up and slammed them down on the top of his desk. "Now, where were we… oh yea, I understand that Miss Webber has another boy, Cameron. He is not Jason's but if he is there, bring his as well. I want them taken to Pier 11. There is a warehouse there that is undergoing renovations and should be vacant today. The city revoked our permits for some bogus reason so the men cannot work for another week."

Anthony continued reviewing his plan with his men. They were ordered to take Jason out if the opportunity is presented. After much review, the men parted ways and began to put the plan into action. Johnny walked into the room as the men were leaving. "What is going on here?" he asked. "Was there a meeting that I didn't know about?"

"Nothing for you to worry about John." Anthony said dismissively.

When the men were gone Anthony spoke, "Your sister still has not called me. Do you have information on her whereabouts?"

"I didn't come here to talk about Claudia."

Anthony angled his head, "Then what is it? I'm busy."

"I want to talk to you about Jason Morgan."

Anthony looked up at Johnny and smiled, "And?"

"What are your plans? How do you want to handle him?" Johnny asked hoping his father would tell him.

Anthony shrugged, "I'm not sure yet." A smile formed on his face again, "I'll let you know."

"Why do I feel that you are not telling me something. I thought you wanted me involved in the business with you." Johnny said crossing his arms over his chest.

"I do but there are some things that are better that you do not know, deniability. You may want to give yourself an alibi. Why do you go spend the day with that tramp LooooLoooo. You never know, if something were to happen, you may want to be somewhere public where you can be seen by many people."

"I don't think we should make a move against Jason's organization."

Anthony shook his head, "We aren't making a move against his organization." Anthony said bluntly.

Johnny read between the lines and understood what he was saying. Johnny just nodded and left, frantically trying to figure out how he can stop the men from making a move against Jason and his family, which would do nothing but start a full-blown mob war and Jason Morgan was the last person that they want to be up against.

* * *

Thanks again for the great feedback. I really thought I'd be done this story by now but it is much harder then I thought it would be to write. My goal for this week is to get at least a few more chapters up before the end of the weekend. I will try!


	15. Chapter 15 Hour 15

Chapter 15

Hour 15 - 11:00 AM

Elizabeth, Jake and Cameron were sitting together on the couch watching TV. Elizabeth heard a car door and jumped from the couch. She ran to the window but did not see Jason's SUV and let out a sigh. Max was standing behind his car having a heated conversation with someone. She could not make out who he was talking to because they were concealed behind Max's oversized SUV. She could tell from Max's movements that he was ordering whoever it was to leave.

She walked over to the door and opened it. Max stopped and turned in Elizabeth's direction then the person on the other side of the argument peeked around him and Elizabeth froze. The woman pushed past Max and Max followed close behind her, his hand resting in his pocket, probably on his firearm.

"Elizabeth, we need to talk… now!" Claudia spat.

"I'm sorry Elizabeth, go inside. I will take care of her." Max said apologetically.

Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "No. I want to talk to her too. I will be ok."

Max stepped onto the porch and gave Claudia a look of warning. "Relax, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I just need to talk to her."

Elizabeth stepped aside so Claudia could enter her house. Max motioned to Elizabeth that he would be out on the porch if she needed him and then Elizabeth shut the door. Jake and Cameron were still sitting on the couch so Elizabeth crossed the room and headed toward the kitchen, Claudia followed her closely.

Once in the kitchen Elizabeth looked around Claudia to make sure the boys did not follow before she spoke. "What the hell have you done?" Elizabeth asked in a soft yet firm voice.

"Elizabeth, I need to explain what happened."

"There is nothing to explain. Rick was here earlier, your father knows and he is already looking to use me and Jake against Jason."

Claudia leaned against the kitchen counter. "I did not tell him… but I did mess up. I left my computer up and he saw it. I am obviously not a Spinelli computer geek."

"How could you be so sloppy with something so important." Elizabeth asked as tears formed in her eyes. "You may not think it is a big deal but we have spent the last year taking every precaution to ensure my family was safe from the danger of Jason's business. He gave up his child so that he could live a normal life. How could you be so reckless?"

"Believe me, if anyone knows how hard it is to grow up around this lifestyle it is me. Please… do you honestly think that I would put a child in danger. Maybe I was bluffing, I was never going to tell anyone or go public."

Claudia paused briefly then continued "I apologize for bringing this on you… but you knew about Jason's life before you got involved with him and did not let that stop you."

"I didn't get pregnant on purpose Claudia! I didn't plan any of this but me and Jason handled it the best we could, the safest way possible… or so we thought." Elizabeth growled.

"That is a risk you take when you sleep with a mob enforcer. If it wasn't me then t would have been someone else that figured it out."

Elizabeth shook her head, "I am not having this conversation. You are not going to turn this around on me Claudia! We took every possible precaution. Jason gave up his freaking son!"

"I'm just saying, do you really think you could have kept this a secret forever. I've seen Jake, he is a spitting image of Jason."

"So is this why you came here… to rub it in that it is our own fault that you exposed us to your father?"

Claudia took a deep breath and shook her head, "No. I came to warn you but I guess Rick has already done that. My father is dangerous and he does not care who you are… innocent, woman, or even a child. You need to get out of town because a guard can't protect you forever. They will slip up and my father will be there waiting."

"Well thank you for the heads up but don't forget that you started all this. I have complete faith in Jason's ability to protect me, he would never put me or the boys at risk like Sonny did."

Claudia slid into a chair at her table and Elizabeth looked at her like she was crazy. "I grew up like that Elizabeth… with guards and constant threats… its no way to live."

"And you think I don't know that, why do you think we did not tell anyone about Jake. Why do you think Jason gave him up." Elizabeth said as she crossed the kitchen and leaned her back against the counter across from Claudia. "Now we don't have a choice."

"You do, if Jason does as I have requested."

Elizabeth laughed mockingly. "Once again your agenda comes out. You came here to get me to convince Jason to kill your father. Well guess what, he could kill your father and six months later there will be a new threat. Then what, he kills them then six months later he must kill someone else… all because there is a possibility that they could use us as leverage. It doesn't work like that." Elizabeth said throwing her arms in the air. "And you know as well as anyone else that you can't leave the business… no matter what Sonny thinks. Jason has tried before, its not possible, we would always be looking behind us."

"It's not an agenda, there are plenty of people out there that I could hire to kill my father."

"Then why?"

Claudia went to speak but noticed that Elizabeth's attention quickly focused on something in the doorway. "Mommy, I'm hungwy" Cameron said as he walked into the kitchen. "Who are you?" he asked looking at Claudia.

"I'm a friend of your moms." Claudia said and winked at Cameron.

Elizabeth glared at Claudia, "That's a bit of a stretch."

"What's your name?" Cameron asked.

"Claudia."

"Oh…" Cameron mumbled then looked over at Elizabeth. "Can I have lunch now?"

Elizabeth nodded and turned to the counter to search out a loaf of bread. She hoped that Claudia would leave now that Cameron was in the room but she didn't. "We'll finish this another time." Elizabeth said looking over her shoulder at Claudia.

Elizabeth had hoped that Claudia would leave but she was not taking the hint, "That's fine, I can wait. I have nowhere to be right now." Claudia said with a smile and leaned back in the chair, folding her hands in her lap.


	16. Chapter 16 Hour 16

You get two chapters tonight because Chapter 15 & 16 are both pretty short. Don't worry, it is going to pick up within the next couple chapters

Chapter 16

Hour 16 - 12:00 PM

"Cameron, stop giving Jake your crust. He has his own food." Elizabeth grumbled.

Cameron looked at her with a devilish smile as Jake shoved the crust from Cameron's peanut butter and jelly in his mouth. "But I don't likes the crusts-s-s and Jakey does."

"He could choke on it, those pieces are too big. You don't have to eat the crust, just leave it on your plate." Elizabeth walked over to the fridge and put the bottle of jelly inside then turned and faced Claudia who was still sitting at the table… with her boys. She gritted her teeth then spoke in a low voice, "You can leave now."

"I've waited this long, I might as well stay a few more minutes until they are done." Claudia replied and shrugged. "I think we still have more to discuss."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and regretted ever letting Claudia into her home. She had thoughts of going outside and getting Max to escort her out but did not want to cause a scene in front of the boys. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her phone ringing in the other room. She darted into the Livingroom and flipped the phone open so hard that she was lucky that it did not break. "Jason!" she screeched into the phone.

Jason had been behind closed doors for over an hour. It took a lot of persuasion to get the meeting organized on such short notice but it finally came together. It was the first meeting with the five families since he had taken over for Sonny and hated that it was under such extreme circumstances. After he had met with Spinelli and gotten the evidence he had uncovered, almost immediately he met with the families to present it to them. He wanted to do things right and did not want to step on any toes or for any of them to feel like he was trying to prove a point by carrying out such a high profile hit. He also did not want them to feel endangered or that Jason would attempt to go after any of their interests, it was purely revenge for what was done to Michael.

They were all aware of the situation of what had happened with Michael and fortunate for Jason, it hit home with all of them. They all had the honor to leave families and innocent people out of the business and they all wanted the situation handled as well. They all made it clear that sloppiness and recklessness like that was not wanted in the business and it only opened them up to investigation by the authorities. They each gave Jason the go ahead and offered any support that would be needed, which Jason declined. He thanked them all for meeting with him on such short notice then he left.

"Elizabeth, are you ok?"

"Yes, do you know what happened?" Elizabeth asked. She tried to keep her voice low enough that Claudia and the boys would not hear her in the kitchen.

"I know a little, Max had told Milo and as soon as I got out he let me know."

"Rick came over to warn me that Anthony knows, apparently Claudia had left her computer on with all the research she had done still displaying… Anthony put two and two together." Elizabeth paused to take a breath. "Then Claudia came over and she…"

"Claudia came to your house?" Jason asked with a groan.

"Yes, she is actually…"

Jason cut her off, "I need you to pack up the boys and get to the Penthouse. I will be there as soon as I can."

"Jason where have you been? Is everything ok?"

"Yes but do not tell Claudia anything, don't tell her I was in a meeting. Just please get to the Penthouse. Max will help you and I will have an additional guard on every entrance of the building to monitor all access."

"Do you think Anthony is going to try something?" Elizabeth asked with worry in her voice.

"I'm not taking any chances. Spinelli is there and will help you get settled. I should be there within the hour."

"Jason…" Elizabeth said in almost a whisper as she sunk into the couch. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry about that yet, just get safe and we will work it out." Jason answered, not quite convinced himself. "Elizabeth… what did Claudia come over for?"

Elizabeth looked in the direction of the kitchen to make sure Claudia was not listening. "She just showed up here, I guess to warn me about her father but Rick already had. But then she wouldn't leave and she is just annoying and now she is just sitting in the kitchen with the boys because she wants to talk and she wants you to do that thing she asked you about earlier and…"

"Ok, just get to the Penthouse, don't worry about her. I will take care of her." Jason said gravely.

"I do truly believe that she didn't want this to come out…"

"Elizabeth, I'll deal with her." He said firmly. "She put you and the boys in danger, and intentionally or not, she still did it." He paused and sighed, not wanting to tell her too much. "Anyway, I'll call Max now and tell him what to do."

"Ok." Elizabeth sighed.

"Everything will be ok." Jason assured her, silently praying that he was right.

"Ok, I will see you in a bit. Be safe."

"I will… I love you."

"I love you too." Elizabeth whispered.

* * *

Spoilerish...

Now that Jason has the go ahead to take someone out, who will it be? Did Spinelli discover that it was Claudia or did he just find the evidence that she had planted. Something else is going to happen that will kind of put Michaels revenge on the back burner (for a few hours at least, lol) but don't worry, Claudia and Anthony will not make it out unfazed, and maybe not even alive... at least one of them wont.


	17. Chapter 17 Hour 17

Chapter 17

Hour 17 - 1:00 PM

"Welcome to the fortress of Stonecold." Spinelli said as Max, Elizabeth and the boys entered the Penthouse. Elizabeth was obviously stressed out and noticeably tired, evident from the dark circles under her eyes. She was holding a fussy Jake. He had fallen asleep on the ride over and was not ready to wake up when Elizabeth picked him up out of the car seat. Luckily Cameron was excited when Elizabeth told him that they were going over Jason's house. On the ride over he asked if Jason would play motorcycles with him but Elizabeth told him that Jason was busy and maybe would later. "Can I be of assistance?" Spinelli asked.

"And if I can do anything I will be right out in the hall. Jason should be here any minute." Max said then excused himself from the apartment.

Cameron shyly clung to Elizabeth's side as she paced the Livingroom attempting to calm Jake down. She did not answer Spinelli's offer of help so he intervened. He walked over to Elizabeth and the boys and knelt down, "And what is your name?"

"C-Cameron." He answered softly.

"Hi Cameron…" Spinelli said as he extended his hand to Cameron. "My name is Damien Spinelli." A satisfied look appeared on his face when Cameron took his hand and they shook hands with one long movement. "What do you like to play with Cameron?"

Cameron raised his pointer finger to his chin, "Umm… trains… and motorcycles… and cars."

Spinelli sighed, "Well I don't have any of them but I bet we can find a fun website about Chuggin Charlie."

Cameron scrunched his face, "You know who Chuggin Charlie is?" Spinelli nodded. "What's a we-westbite?"

"A website, come me and I will show you."

Spinelli walked over to the couch and sat down, immediately opening his laptop. Cameron looked up at Elizabeth, asking for her for permission. Elizabeth forced a smile and nodded her head. She honestly was surprised at how well Spinelli was handling Cameron but she was even more surprised that he was talking plainly so that Cameron could understand him.

Within minutes Spinelli had found a website where they could build a virtual train station and Cameron was so excited and giggling. "Spinelli, I am going to take Jake upstairs and try to get him to sleep."

Spinelli nodded, his attention remaining focused on Cameron.

Elizabeth stood at the landing at the top of the stair unsure of where to go. She felt extremely awkward, should she go into Jason's room or the pink room which she understood was now Spinelli's room. The door to Jason's room was closed but Spinelli's was open so she took that as a sign and slipped into his room. She looked around the room and it was the same as that night she and Jason had spent in it with the exception of a TV, multiple gaming consoles, two computers and a video chair in the middle of the floor. Elizabeth examined the video chair and saw that it rocked. Deciding it would be perfect she sat in it and began rocking Jake to sleep.

With everything that had happened over the past day, Elizabeth was exhausted. She tried to fight it but eventually her movement stilled as she dozed off with Jake cradled in her arms.

* * *

"Jaaason!" Cameron yelled as he jumped from the couch and slammed into Jason's leg.

"Hey Cam." Jason said and looked around for Elizabeth but did not find her.

"Can I see your motorcycle?"

Jason shook his head and kneeled down so he would be at Cameron's height. He wrapped his hand around Cameron's arm, "Sorry buddy but we can't today. Maybe tomorrow ok?"

"Ok." Cameron said with a sigh.

"Uh Stonecold, fair Elizabeth took the young progeny to more peaceful surroundings. The young one was drowsy and fussing." Spinelli said.

Jason nodded and climbed the stairs two steps at a time. He opened the door to his room but did not find Elizabeth and Jake in there so he moved to Spinelli's room. He rested his shoulder in the doorway and his chest tightened at the sight. Elizabeth was cradling Jake in her arms and both were soundly resting. He was frozen, his heart wept at the sight of the family he could have had for so long but always feared. He wanted so much to be with Elizabeth and the boys and now their worst fears cold be coming true. They all could be in danger, all because of his enemies. The main question that kept flashing through his head is whether they would be safer with him or safer without him.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there watching them, probably just minutes although it felt like hours. He finally moved when Jake shifted in Elizabeth's arms causing her to wake up. She looked down at the sleeping boy and securely adjusted him, careful not to drop him. She leaned her head back in the chair and her eyes closed again only to flutter open a second later.

"Jason." She whispered.

He immediately could see the fear in her eyes… but he also saw relief and love. "Hey, go back to sleep. You have had a rough night and day and are probably exhausted." He murmured.

"No, no. I'm awake." She shifted in an attempt to get up but stopped when she realized that Jake would wake up due to the position they were in. "Can you just take him and put him in the bed?"

Jason hesitated, but did as she asked. He moved from the doorway and gently scooped Jake up in his arms in one fluid movement. He cradled Jake in his arm for a minute amazed at how big he was getting. Letting out a sigh he placed Jake on Spinelli's pink comforter. Elizabeth appeared beside him and gathered the pillows from the top of the bed, creating a wall of pillows around Jake. Once secure she turned back to Jason and slipped her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. They stayed in their embrace for a long moment before Elizabeth lifted her head and looked up at him.

Jason looked over at the doorway and whispered, "We should go talk."

Elizabeth nodded, "Where's Cam?"

"He is downstairs with Spinelli."

She tip toed up and he dipped his head a fraction so their lips could meet for a kiss. It was a quick, gentle kiss and Jason pulled back before moving back in and kissing her forehead. "Everything will be ok." He said reassuringly. "I will make sure of it."

* * *

"So then Claudia finally left?" Jason asked. He had been listening to Elizabeth recount everything that happened this morning, growing more and more annoyed that Claudia and Rick both showed up at her house.

"Yea, Max pretty much told her that if she followed us here that he would shoot her."

"He should not have let her in your house in the first place. She should not have been there." Jason said in an annoyed tone.

"Don't get mad at Max… I told him it was ok." He looked at her surprised and she elaborated. "I couldn't get you on the phone and she showed up after Rick had told me about Anthony so I wanted to hear what she knew and how everything happened."

Not wanting to upset her further he just nodded but he knew that they would continue that conversation later. "I think you, Jake and Cam should stay here till I know it is safe for you to go home."

Elizabeth nodded "But…"

Jason's cell phone rang, interrupting them and he looked at the caller ID. Elizabeth motioned for him to answer it and walked around him. They had gone into the kitchen to talk so Cameron could not hear what they were saying so she went back into the Livingroom to see how Cameron was doing with Spinelli, leaving Jason to take his phone call.

"Cam.." she said as she walked past the pool table toward the couch where they were still working on their online train game. "Are you having fun with Spinelli?"

"Mommy Nelli and me builded a whole train city."

"A train city?" she asked with her excited mommy voice as she sat down beside him on the couch.

Cameron nodded and started pointing out various items on the computer screen. Minutes later Jason appeared in the room. He walked past them and opened the door, whispering to Max before closing it again and walking over to the couch. "I have to go out for a little while but don't worry, Milo will be right outside the door."

Elizabeth could tell that Jason was in his enforcer mode. His face was showing little expression, "What about Max?" Elizabeth asked.

"He is going with me, but don't worry Milo is more then capable…" he trailed off.

"Wh-where are you going?" She asked, unsure if she should be asking.

Jason hesitated then answered, "Anthony wants to meet with me."

Elizabeth's eyes widened and for the first time since they were in the kitchen his eyes met hers. With Cameron sitting beside her she did not want to say too much. Jason could see the worry in her eyes and he nodded his head and mouthed, "It's ok" to her. Her eyes closed and she let out a deep breath as she silently prayed that he would be ok.

Jason turned and opened the closet, reaching for the box that was in its place on the top shelf. He carefully brought the box down and leaned into the closet, balancing the box and removing its contents, careful to hide all of his movements in case Cameron looked over. Luckily he was so mesmerized with what he and Spinelli were doing that he didn't even look over once. He already had his handgun but grabbed a few extra clips in case he needed them.

Jason walked back over to the couch and Elizabeth stood, moving behind it and out of Cameron's eye sight. Jason took her face in his hands, "Don't go anywhere and don't tell anyone where you are if you talk to them." He said in a low voice.

Elizabeth nodded, "Please be careful Jason."

Jason just nodded his head then kissed her trembling lips. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too. Please be safe." He nodded and place one last kiss on her forehead before leaving


	18. Chapter 18 Hour 18

I had originally posted chapter 17 twice. I removed the dupilcate and this really is Chapter 18, lol. Sorry that this chapter jumps around so much but there are so many things happening at once. I hope it is not too confusing.

Chapter 18

Hour 18 - 2:00 PM

Jason pulled the large, black SUV into the empty parking lot at the abandoned waterfront warehouse. He turned to Max and gave him a nod before getting out of the truck. They stood and examined the property. They knew that it was one of Alcazar's warehouses that Rick had signed over to his father and had not been used until recently. There were numerous warehouses in a row that had been vacant for months but now that Trevor had ownership they were beginning to rehab them and make them functional once again. This warehouse had a number 16 on it and was the last one, also the most private being furthest from any other businesses or roadways. Jason cocked his gun and slid it into the rear waistband of his jeans. Max followed his lead and patted his coat pocket to ensure his extra rounds of ammo were still there.

"Ready?" Jason asked as he gave Max a look of warning that things would probably get messy. Max just nodded. "Think smart and be alert" was the last thing Jason said before the two men started in the direction of the door to the warehouse.

* * *

Elizabeth was tense. She could not ignore the feeling that she had in her gut. She sat in the armchair watching Cameron and Spinelli continue playing their game but was not focused on their movements. Instead her head was clouded with thoughts. She worried that Jason was walking into a trap. With each passing minute the knots in her stomach grew even more tighter.

* * *

"Morgan is here." Anthony Zacharra mumbled into his cell phone. "Move in, get them fast, kill any of his men you find, get them and be out in less then 2 minutes… before anyone can alert Morgan." Zacharra closed his phone and looked down on the main level of the warehouse. His men were strategically placed throughout the main level.

* * *

At the main entrance of Harborview towers a guard stood along the wall between the entrance to the elevators and the entrance to the stairwell. His arms were crossed over his chest. Another man stood behind a desk with a phone up to his ear. He was obviously talking to one of the tenants in the building about a faulty pipe that needed repair. Two men entered the building and within seconds there was a shootout in the lobby. The guard was hit as well as the building attendant that had been on the phone.

With no time to check to ensure the men were alive the two men quickly arrived at Jason's Penthouse. The second the elevator opened they opened fire on Milo, sending him to the ground.

* * *

Elizabeth and Spinelli jumped at the sound they heard in the hallway. Her gut feeling was validated the instant that sound echoed through the walls of the Penthouse. Thinking as quick as she could she did the first thing that came to her mind. "Spinelli, take Cameron up to your room. Jake is in there. Lock the door and do not come out. DON'T COME OUT!" she said.

"B-b-b-but what about y-y-y-ou."

"Just go." Elizabeth grunted. She hoped that her plan would work because there was no time for a plan b or c. Before she could make a move toward the door two more pops came from the hallway and the door was kicked open.

One of the men lunged at her, wrapping an arm around her neck and the other holding a gun to her temple. "Elizabeth Webber, it seems that someone is looking for you. Now all we need to find is the cute little Morgan baby."

Breathless and barely able to speak, her heart was pounding out of her chest. "He… he isn't here. At… a… safe house."

"Liar!" the other guard shouted as he pressed his gun into her temple. The two guards glanced at each other and mouthed a few words back and forth. They were silently debating what to do and finally decided that there was no time to search for the boy and to check the large apartment to ensure she was not lying. They were unsure of the security system in the building and needed to leave before anyone else could arrive.

"He is, I was…" Elizabeth started to say before everything went black.

* * *

Spinelli was shaking so bad that he could not get the door locked to his bedroom. He had been trying for the past few minutes and when he heard the second set of gunshots then the door being kicked in the shaking only got worse.

Cameron could sense that something was happening. "What was that noise?"

Spinelli looked at the small boy and was unsure how he should answer the question. He said the first thing that came to his mind, "The man in the hallway got really sick and the loud sounds were him falling to the ground and him banging to get your mommy's attention. See the mater… your mom can help him because she is a nurse." Spinelli said hoping it would be enough to hold the small boy's curiosity for at least a short while.

* * *

The men hurried out the back entrance with Elizabeth thrown over one of their shoulders to a waiting SUV. Seconds later the tires on the SUV screeched and it disappeared down the road. Meanwhile, Milo had been struggling to breath, a bullet had pierced his arm and what felt like his abdomen but he was not too sure. He was not sure how long he had been unconscious or where anyone was.

With his uninjured arm he managed to retrieve his cell phone and dial Jason's number. It seemed to take hours to get the buttons pushed on the phone and the instant he hear the ringing sound on the other end, he drifted back into unconsciousness.

* * *

The instant he entered the warehouse Jason got the feeling that he was walking into a setup. There was a man that patted them down and wanted them to hand over their guns. Jason refused. "Where is Anthony?" Jason asked.

"He will be here momentarily." The guard calmly answered.

Jason surveyed the warehouse. The large room they were in was dimly lit and extremely large. The ceiling was stories high with a large loft area that was completely unlit. Jason noted that anyone could be in the darkness and decided that they probably should leave. He turned to Max and his cell phone rang in his pocket. He had meant to leave it in the car and reached in to silence it. He pulled it from his pocket and his stomach sank when he saw Milo's number on the caller ID. _'Something's wrong.'_ He thought to himself. Before anyone could say another word, Jason pulled out his gun and shot the guard beside him. Suddenly the sound of gun shots echoed through the warehouse as the strategically placed men began to shoot at Jason and Max.

Taking cover behind a large metal support beam, Jason shot blindly into the dark areas of the warehouse, listening to the gunshots and aiming toward the source.

"Fuck!" Max yelled. He was a few yards from Jason taking a similar position behind another beam. He had been shot in the hand and dropped his gun.

Jason reloaded the clip in his gun and continued shooting into the darkness. There were less shots coming in his direction so he assumed he had hit a few of his targets… problem is that he had reloaded his clip three times already and was already firing the bullets in his last one. He nodded toward the door and he and Max made a run for it, Jason continuing to shoot until they were out the door. Seconds later they were speeding away in the SUV.

Jason looked over at Max in the passenger seat, "Fuck!" he yelled when he saw Max's hand. "Fuck!" he yelled again when he thought about the fact that it was a setup. As he sped his SUV though the streets to the Penthouse all he could do was pray that Elizabeth and the boys were safe.


	19. Chapter 19 Hour 19

Chapter 19

Hour 19 - 3:00 PM

As he sped through the streets Jason wondered if Anthony knew that Elizabeth and the boys were at his Penthouse. Had he been followed… had they been followed. It was obvious that the meeting with Anthony was a setup and the phone call from Milo led him to believe that something had happened back at Harborview.

Dealing with afternoon traffic added five minutes to his drive back. He whipped his SUV into the parking garage and jumped out of the driver's seat, Max following quickly behind. He had wrapped his hand tightly in a tshirt that he found laying on the back seat. Bypassing the lobby, they arrived at the Penthouse in record time. Max kneeled in front of his brother and checked his pulse. It was slow but he had one. Max lifted his brother's jacket and saw that he was shot once in the abdomen and there was another wound in his ankle.

"Get him into the vacant Penthouse across the hall and call Robin Scorpio. We cannot alert the authorities until we have to. They will only mess this up." Jason said as he drew his gun and pushed the door open with his boot. It had been closed but the knob and lock was gone. Jason aimed his gun in front of him as he slowly surveyed the apartment. He found nothing but silence. His heart began to race as he climbed the steps. He checked his room… nothing. The door to Spinelli's room was closed. He stood to the side and turned the knob, it did not turn so he moved in front of the door and kicked it open.

Cameron jumped into Spinelli's arms and shrieked. "It's ok… it's ok." Jason said as he quickly crossed the room and kneeled in front of Cameron. "I'm sorry Cam, I didn't mean to scare you." Jason let out a sigh of relief.

Cameron seemed to relax a little but still said nothing. Jason pat him on top of his head and looked over at Jake on the bed, still sleeping. He was still in the same position that Elizabeth…

Jason's head darted up and looked in every corner of the room. "Wh-where's Elizabeth." He mumbled as his whole body grew tense again.

Spinelli opened his mouth to talk but sighed when Cameron looked up at him for an answer as well. Instead Spinelli just met Jason's eyes and that gave him all the answer he needed.

Jason looked over at Jake sleeping on the bed, sighed then walked out into the hallways and dialed his phone… he hated asking for help but there was no way that he could handle everything himself. He was down two of his best men. He needed someone he could trust and at this point he was not sure if there was anyone. "Carly…"

* * *

Twenty minutes later the scene was cleaned up. Max and Milo were being tended to across the hall by a very angry Robin. The two men they discovered in the lobby (a guard and the desk attendant) were also taken care of. The guard did not make it and the desk attendant only had a graze, nothing that quiet money and a good doctor couldn't fix. Jason knew that Robin hated being involved in anything mob related but he explained (partially) what had happened, enough to get her there.

Cameron was pretty shaken when Jason kicked in the door with a gun in his hand but Spinelli was able to calm him down by showing him how to shoot pool, even though Spinelli did not know that well either. After a few minutes Cameron picked up the cue stick and started jabbing at the balls giving Spinelli the chance to search for Elizabeth.

Carly came storming through the door. "What the hell is going on, why wouldn't…" She stopped yelling when she noticed Cameron on the other side of the room and Jake sitting on the floor playing with a bunch of plastic cups.

Jason looked at Carly and spoke firmly in a low voice. "Carly… I need you to not fight me or butt in. I need you right now, I need you to watch Cameron and Jake."

"What, why? Now you need me to baby-sit Cameron and the son that was stolen…"

"Carly!" Jason yelled in a low grunt. "Shut up!" He pointed to the hallway and they exited the Penthouse and went into the hall. "Look," he said pointing his finger at her. "I don't fucking want to hear it. I need you right now and for as long as I remember I have helped you whenever you needed it… I need that from you now."

She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes, "What is going on?"

Jason closed his eyes, "Anthony Zacharra kidnapped Elizabeth."

"WHAT!" Carly yelled. Jason opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to make sure the door was still closed.

"I don't have time to explain it all but Claudia figured it out and was sloppy, left the information out in the open, her father found it and I guess you can figure it out from there. I brought them all here because it was safer then her house… or so I thought. I'm still unsure of what happened but Elizabeth had Spinelli lock themselves in his room upstairs, I guess hoping that they would just take her and not the boys… which they did just take her. I'm not sure if they were in a rush or if she fed them some story… that's probably it." Jason wiped his hand across his forehead. "She probably figured that they wanted to be in then out quick in case someone else came along and they wouldn't leave without them. Maybe she said they boys weren't there… I don't know. Whatever happened, she sacrificed herself." He sighed, "I walked away from them and my life still…" He trailed off and wiped his hands over his face. He could not deal with all of this. It felt like the walls were closing in around him.

"It's gotta be close to an hour now that she has been gone. I need Spinelli and right now he is watching the boys… stay here, watch them… play with them… I don't know… maybe they are hungry…" He shook his head.

Carly could see the exhaustion in his eyes, both mental and physical. She could tell that there was more going on but just nodded. "They did all this in daylight?" She asked, not really expecting an answer then reached her hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "I will help you. Go find Elizabeth."


	20. Chapter 20 Hour 20

Chapter 20

Hour 20 - 4:00 PM

Jason stood beside the pool table staring out over the water wondering where Elizabeth was. He knew that they would not take her too far, especially after what had happened at the warehouse… they needed her, or at least he hoped they needed her… alive.

They had been through entirely too much for something like this to happen. She had to live… she had to still be alive, not just because the boys needed her to be but he needed her to be as well. Sure he had walked away from here and it had torn him up but he found solace in the fact that she had the boys and the boys had her. She deserved more then this. He had never meant anything as much as he did that day when he told Elizabeth that he wanted her and the boys to have a happy and safe life. That day broke his heart… and hers just days after he told he would not change his mind when he had proposed to her.

His gaze moved to the hallway leading to the kitchen. At first Cameron was not comfortable with Carly. She tried multiple times to get him to talk to her but he as not budging. Holding the pool stick in his hand, he just kept jabbing at the balls on the table. It wasn't until she told Cameron that she had a son about his age that he really started to pay attention. She showed him a picture of Morgan and talked about how he loves trains and motorcycles.

After a few minutes of small talk about Cameron's favorite subjects, Elizabeth asked if he was hungry, Cameron nodded. "Do you think your little brother is hungry too?" Cameron again nodded. "How about we eat something?"

"Okay."

"What is your favorite food?" Carly asked. Cameron shrugged his shoulders. "Well, mine is pizza, should we go see if there are any pizzas in the freezer, or even better, if we can find all the ingredients we can make some homemade pizza."

When he had heard Carly talk about cooking, Jason's head darted in her direction. "What?" she asked. "I'm not saying make pizza from complete scratch." She said, her words obviously directed to Jason. "A roll makes good crust so all we need is sauce and cheese. Does that sound like fun?"

Cameron nodded and finally smiled. Carly picked up Jake from the floor and they disappeared into the kitchen.

Jason was relieved that Cameron warmed up to Carly. He could hear Cameron's giggle from the kitchen. It was a sound that he wished to hear more often. He wondered how often Jake giggled, was it like Cameron's, a giggle from the pit of his stomach or more like Elizabeth's, a high pitched giggle, almost a squeal?

"Stonecold…" Spinelli called over his shoulder to Jason, shaking him from his thoughts. "The surveillance footage…" he said, pointing at his computer screen.

Jason hurried across the room taking long, quick steps. He leaned an arm across the back of Spinelli's chair at the desk and watched the footage. They first watched the footage in the lobby then Milo getting shot and minutes later the men exited the Penthouse, one of them carrying an obviously unconscious Elizabeth. "Play it back." Jason ordered. Spinelli quickly complied and they repeated the process multiple times. Each time Jason hoped that he would recognize something or catch some sort of clue but found nothing. "Again." Jason repeated as his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and opened it quickly. "What the…" Jason hollered into the phone and was quickly cut off.

"Jason, we need to meet… now."

"Do you think I am stupid?" Jason asked. "I am not walking into another ambush."

"We can meet anywhere you want, you name the place. Me and Johnny had nothing to do with this. Please believe me."

"Claudia, you had everything to do with this. You started it… how do you know what happened?"

"I'll tell you when we meet… not over the phone."

Jason sighed.

"Jason, me and Johnny did not have anything to do with this. We would never endanger an innocent person… on purpose. We want to help."

"Fine… meet me on the docks… now." Jason said and closed his phone before she could agree or change the location. He quickly called more men in to watch the Penthouse, two men at every entrance and sent a few to the docks to get into position for his meeting.

Spinelli looked up at Jason with worry in his eyes, "Stonecold, Vixenella has proven to be…"

"Spinelli, please don't. You and I both know what she is capable of. She is sloppy like her father." Jason growled out as he again retrieved the box from his closet. He carried it to the coffee table, opened a fresh box of ammunition and began to reload his clips. Once he was satisfied that he had enough, he returned his box to the top of the closet. He securely tucked his gun into the back of his shirt and attached a second to his ankle.

"Call me if you find anything." Jason said to Spinelli as he rushed out the door.

* * *

Elizabeth started to come awake. Her head was throbbing and her eyes were heavy. She struggled to open them. When they finally opened she found herself in a small room, it almost seemed like a closet. Suddenly she remembered everything that happened and began to tremble. She was kidnapped.

The only light in the room shined through a window that was high on the wall, a good two feet over her head if she were to stand up. She was laying on the floor, cold cement, and her body ached as she shifted to sit up. Her back leaned against the wall behind her as she brought her knees up in front of her and protectively wrapped her arms around her legs.

She studied the door in front of her and saw there were two locks, one on the door knob and a deadbolt. The door also appeared to be made of some sort of metal… not that she was even strong enough to break down a wooden door. She prayed for the safety of Cameron and Jake. She was almost certain that her plan had worked and the boys were still safe at the Penthouse but at this point she was unsure if Jason was even alive or even looking for her yet. It was still daylight so she knew that she could not have been out for too long, no more then two or three hours. "Jason, please be alive." She whispered out loud. Her head dipped and rested on her knee as tears flowed from her sore eyes. "Find me Jason." She said as she snuffled. "Find me Jason..." She repeated. "Save me."

* * *

Sorry guys but I seem to be having some writers block. I had to force this chapter out and I hate it but hopefully the next chapter will come a little easier.


	21. Chapter 21 Hour 21

I suck at writing scenes that should be dramatic, sorry. I don't what I got myself into with this fic! LOL!

Chapter 21

Hour 21 - 5:00 PM

Jason rounded the corner and spotted Claudia waiting for him. She was standing and talking with Johnny in a low voice. As he slowly walked down the stairs he noticed a guard standing about twenty feet away down the dock and he knew there were others in position.

Claudia and Johnny heard the thumping sound of his motorcycle boots on the wooden planks of the waterfront. As Jason slowly approached them, his hand raised and he aimed his gun directly at Claudia.

"Jasssson." Claudia said slowly. "Wait, let me explain."

"How do I know that this is not another setup?" Jason hissed.

Johnny shook his head, "It's not. You and I both know that we wouldn't order a hit on you. You have saved my life before and vice versa."

"You have." Jason agreed then looked to Claudia.

Claudia spoke quick, "Look, we have been trying to get in on our fathers plans today but he is not sharing them with us. He does not think we can be trusted, he thinks we are too close to you."

"Is that so?"

Johnny moved to stand a few steps in front of Claudia, his arms crossed over his chest. "I spoke to some of my fathers men and none of them would tell me his plans, all they told me that there were important arrangements being made concerning the future of the organization and our place in Port Charles."

Jason rolled his wrist, prompting them to get to the point. He was still standing a few feet away, his gun still aimed at Claudia's chest.

"We know where Elizabeth is being held and I can assure you that the instant you set foot in there, you will be killed and probably Elizabeth as well." Johnny said.

Jason sucked in a deep breath, "And I assume that you want something in exchange for this information?" He said as he glared at Claudia.

"Claudia feels a little responsible for setting off the chain of events… but it was inevitable that this information and your son's paternity would have eventually come out. When it did, my father would have done the same thing, whether it was today, a month from now or a year from now."

"What do you want?" Jason growled.

"I don't want another innocent person to get hurt."

Jason's eyes darkened, "Another one?" he growled. "I think you mean that you don't want any more innocent blood on your hands."

Claudia's eyes widened at Jason's words.

"Do you think that I would not have figured it out?" Jason asked. Johnny took a step to the side and moved his body between Jason's gun and Claudia. "Johnny, do you think I am the only person that has a gun aimed at Claudia right now?"

Johnny looked around and chuckled, "In broad daylight, I don't think so."

"Do you really think I care if I go to jail? Your father kidnapped the Elizabeth and I will do whatever it takes to get her back, even if I end up sacrificing myself. Then there is the fact that your sister ordered the hit on Sonny." He was glaring at Claudia, "You ordered a sloppy hit then tried to cover your tracks and divert our investigation to your father. I would have found out the truth eventually… you hired Jerry and that was your first mistake. He hired Ian, a man that would shoot a bullet when a child was present."

Jason lowered his gun. He knew that his men were told to target Claudia at all times. Stepping back he continued, "You manipulated the evidence so that it would point to your father, and on paper, it did. The wire transfer from your father's accounts into an anonymous account in the Caymans. See, those accounts are very familiar to us. We know that although they are anonymous, all banking must be done in person, by the account holder. The accounts are only accessed by an account number and pass code, no names are used so it could not be traced back to you or your father."

A slight grin appeared on Jason's face as he continued, "We may not have had a name but we did have the account information such as the date it was opened. You see, we may have had a record of a wire transfer from an account belonging to the Zacharra organization but I needed to know exactly who transferred the money. Claudia had to open it in person and we knew what day it was opened so it wasn't hard to figure it out from there once we had the airline and hotel records."

"Sounds like Spinelli has been working hard. If you just came here to kill me then do it and get it over with." Claudia said and threw her hands up in the air. "But you must know this, Johnny had nothing to do with it. I wouldn't tell him the details."

Johnny closed his eyes and shook his head, "Shut up Claudia! What is it that you want Jason?"

Jason shrugged, "Maybe I feel that Sonny and Carly should deal with Claudia regarding Michael's shooting." Johnny glared at Jason and shook his head. Jason sighed then continued, "But today's events are directly due to the carelessness of you. Here is my offer… and it is the only one. I want to know where they are hold Elizabeth. I want to know how many men are at the location. I want to know exactly where your father is. Once Elizabeth is home safe and your father has been handled then we will talk."

Johnny shook his head, "No, I need assurance that you will not kill Claudia."

"It's fine Johnny." Claudia added in a low voice. "This has been on my conscience for months and I deserve whatever is coming to me. It's a deal. Elizabeth is…"

Johnny cut her off, "NO! Jason, I need to know that you will not kill her first."

Jason shook his head, "I can't promise anything except that if you leave town I will not look for you… but if you even set foot in Port Charles again, I will kill you… or Sonny will… or even Carly."

Claudia closed her eyes, "I will go." She whispered.

"Fine." Jason grunted, "Now talk."

"Warehouse 16" Claudia said.

"That's where I was just at when I was supposed to meet your father. You are telling me that is where he took Elizabeth?"

Claudia nodded, "She is there and so is my father. There are about 8 men total in and around the building but there may be more, I'm not sure."

Jason glanced at Johnny who nodded in agreement with Claudia. "And you are both coming with me as insurance."


	22. Chapter 22 Hour 22

Chapter 22

Hour 22 - 6:00 PM

Elizabeth stood and stretched her legs. She was sore and beyond exhausted. The room that she was being held in was warm, the heat causing her hair to be damp with sweat and stick to the side of her face. Standing on her tip toes, she stretched her body up in an attempt to see out of the small window but was unsuccessful. Light was still shining through the window although it was much dimmer. It could have been a shadow from wherever she was being held, it must have been facing east. She was sure she was being held down on the waterfront and found comfort in that knowing that Jason, hopefully, was close by… if he was still alive she knew that he would come looking for her.

* * *

"How do I know what you are saying is true?" Jason asked as he glanced at the warehouse in the distance with a large "16" on the side.

Claudia stepped past Johnny, "My father has very loyal men. There is one guard, however, that has been trying to nail me since I got into town, so I took that as an opening and got the information from him."

"Why would we have called you if we did not know that the information we had was true?" Johnny asked.

"Another setup" Jason stated with a skeptical look on his face.

Johnny smirked, "If I wanted to take you out I have had plenty of opportunities."

Jason knew that he had no choice but to trust them. As they approached the same door that he had just run from with Max hours ago, Jason cocked his gun and motioned for Claudia to open the door.

Claudia took a step back and winced, "I'm not going in there, are you crazy?"

Jason stood silent, not answering her. His silence expressed that he was completely serious.

"My father would not hesitate to kill me Jason. If I step in there with you then I am a trader and they will definitely kill me. I'm sorry but I do not have the marksman skills that you have Jason."

Jason looked in Johnny's direction. They did not have much time and could not stand out there in case they were discovered. Obviously Anthony was going to old Elizabeth and use her as leverage, probably to get to Jason so he could kill him and Jason was pretty sure that once Anthony was done with him then he would kill Elizabeth as well. Jason's eyes bore into Johnny as he spoke, "We need to get Elizabeth out of here and safe." He said, knowing that they both already knew this but he wanted to reiterate that and emphasize that she was the goal and if anything happened to him, she was to be saved if possible. His glance turned to Claudia, "Alive… no matter what."

"No shit." Claudia said and Jason clenched his fists at his side. Even after everything that she did to Michael and the sloppiness that led to her father figuring out the paternity, he could not hit a woman. Jason knew that he would have a major internal conflict if it came down to having to put a bullet in Claudia, he hoped that she would take his offer and leave town. He was going to give her a head start and if he found her after that then he knew he would have to kill her. If it were anyone else he would have put a bullet in their head the instant he turned the corner and saw them sitting on the docks.

Jason quickly planned his movements in his head. He lifted his gun to Johnny and pressed it into the back of his head. "I need insurance." Jason growled as he opened the door and pushed Johnny through the door. A single gunshot rang out, probably a trigger happy guard that pulled the trigger before he could see that it was Johnny. The bullet hit the wall a few feet from Johnny's head.

"Whoa, hold your fire." Johnny yelled and his voice echoed through the warehouse as Jason came into view behind him with his gun aimed to the back of his head.

"Anthony!" Jason yelled as he pulled Johnny's body in front of his as a shield.

Claudia stood outside the door and took a step backwards after deciding to stay out of view.

"Anthony!" Jason yelled again. "You have someone I want, now I have someone you want. Let's make a trade." Jason tightened his grip on the handle of his gun. "No one has to die here."

"You're bluffing." A voice called from the darkness. Jason could make out that it was Anthony but he was not able to decipher where it was coming from, most likely up in the loft area, it was the darkest area and would completely conceal him.

Jason gritted his teeth. "There is one thing that I don't do Anthony… and that is bluff." Jason yelled. "Return Elizabeth to me, unharmed, or I will kill him."

A laugh echoed through the building, "Ms. Webber is a beautiful woman, I can see why you are so drawn to her. You do realize though that all women are lying tramps."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"You see, Mr. Morgan, if you kill my son then I will kill your darling Elizabeth… and I assure you that it will not be as quick as a bullet to the head as you seem so adamant to do to my son."

"As I said, just return Elizabeth, unharmed, and I will release Johnny. No one has to die."

"See that's where you are wrong. Someone always has to die… if no one died then there would not be a winner and a loser. I think its about time that you feel what it is like to lose."

* * *

Elizabeth was startled when she heard a gunshot. It was just a single shot and that was what had her scared the most. There were many men out there and if Jason were there then there would be more then one gunshot being fired from Jason's gun… unless it was not Jason that fired the shot. Maybe he was fired at.

Her whole body was shaking and she could not stop the tears that were in her eyes. How could she live the rest of her life without Jason. Sure they were trying to live separate lives but knowing that he was still there, still a phone call away gave her comfort. Her mind kept flashing to images of him being shot and falling to the ground. She knew that if they killed Jason that they would probably kill her.

Suddenly the lock on the door clicked and it opened. There was a man standing there, he was stocky and bald. He reached for her arm and pulled her toward him. She stumbled and his grip on her wrist tightened. "Ow!" she screeched.

"Come with me." his raspy voice ordered.

"Where?" She whimpered out.

He didn't answer and just pulled her out of the room and down a dark corridor. She could hear voices in the distance and prayed that Jason was one of the voices.

* * *

This story is definitely going to be the death of me! Having it planned out and actually writing it are two very different things and the words are just not coming to me... but it is almost over!

WHEW!


	23. Chapter 23 Hour 23

Chapter 23

Hour 23 - 7:00 PM

Elizabeth found herself being pulled toward the voices. She could hear Anthony talking, there was no mistaking his voice. The grip on her arm was tight an hurt more with as they walked and he dragged her toward another door. He stopped in front of the door and released her arm. He was standing behind her and he pressed what felt like a gun into her back. "Open the door." He ordered.

Her shaky hand reached for the door handle. She opened the door and felt the gun pressing forcefully into her back, urging her to walk forward into the room. She moved slowly, tensely looking around. "Jason!" she shrieked when he came into her sight. Her body lunged forward only to be grabbed again by the man behind her. His arm wrapped around her waist and he moved his gun to press into her neck. His hold on her was tight and she could not move. Suddenly she realized the situation that was occurring. She saw the gun that Jason had pointed at Johnny and her body froze.

Jason looked at Elizabeth and his stomach tightened. He could not help but notice the dark circles that case a shadow around her eyes. Her hair was disheveled and she was trembling. "Are you ok?" he lipped and she gave him a slight nod. He wanted to hug her and hold her but the situation that they were in was because of him and it only proved the danger that surrounded them. His mind was carefully planning his next move.

"Well, well, it looks like we are all here and we are at a crossroad. What are we going to do?" Anthony asked from the darkness. The sound of his voice startled Elizabeth.

"Let her go Anthony… let her go and I will let Johnny go once she is safe."

He could hear Anthony clucking his tongue. "I don't think so Mr. Morgan. As a sign of good faith, release my son first."

Jason heard a groan from Elizabeth and could see the man tightening his hold on her. His eyes darkened as he struggled to keep his calm. 'I'm going to fucking kill that bastard.' He thought to himself.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath. They had been in this situation before, most recently with Manny, and Jason had gotten them out of the situation. She just kept telling herself that he would save her again… save them both.

Jason could not see Anthony, he was still out of sight in the darkness of the loft. He had a general idea of where the sound of his voice was coming but not seeing him made things a little more risky because he was unsure if he had a gun pointed on them. Anthony was a loose cannon and there was no telling what else he had up his sleeve.

Jason was pulled from his thoughts when a door opened. The door was beneath the loft and hidden from Anthony's view. It also was in an area that Elizabeth and the goon that was holding her could not see as well. It was blocked by a large stack of wooden crates. Claudia crept through the door and held it, slowly closing it, careful not to make a sound to alert anyone else of her entrance. Jason had not noticed that Claudia had not entered the warehouse behind them, or maybe he had and just did not have the chance to process where she had gone. Jason cautiously glanced at her as she crept to squat behind the largest crate.

He watched as she motioned to herself then the other side of the crate, implying that she would grab Elizabeth and get her out of the warehouse and before Jason could acknowledge her plan she darted out from behind the crate. The guard holding Elizabeth was surprised to see Claudia but managed to smile at her. "Hey hot stuff, allow me to handle the bitch." Claudia spat as she winked at the guard.

"What are you doing here Claudia?" Anthony growled as Claudia aimed her gun at Elizabeth.

The guard retreated back a step and Claudia quickly moved in and pressed her gun into Elizabeth's temple. She mumbled something that Elizabeth found to be incoherent before turning with her and pulling her toward the door beneath the loft that she had just entered.

"Jason!" Elizabeth screamed as Anthony called after his daughter from the darkness. She struggled to pull her arm from Claudia's grasp.

As soon as Claudia and Elizabeth were hidden from sight below the loft area and the safety of the crate, Johnny pulled a gun from the rear waistband of his pants and pointed it at the lone guard that had been holding Elizabeth. Jason sprinted to the far corner where the stairs were to the loft. Quickly turning before he climbed them, he turned and fired one shot at the guard, hitting him, before climbing the stairs, three at a time.

"JOHNNY!" an angry Anthony called. "You both have betrayed me!" he yelled and Johnny heard the unmistakable sound of Anthony cocking his gun.

Johnny took off running as shots were fired at him from the darkness, one hitting him in the shoulder before the shots were turned in a different direction.

Jason reached the top stop and quickly ran to take cover behind a large steel beam. He peaked around and saw two silhouettes in the darkness before he heard the familiar popping sound in his direction. Jason had assumed that Anthony was not alone up here but assumed it would just be Anthony's guard. The silhouette was unmistakably Trevor. Jason pulled a new clip from his pocket and reloaded his gun before peeking around the beam and firing three shots.

Johnny's hand grasped at his bleeding shoulder as Claudia opened the door and he hurried Elizabeth through it then out of the building. "Wait, we need to wait for Jason." Elizabeth begged.

Johnny shook his head, "We gave Jason our word that we would get you safe, that was our purpose going there."

"But who is going to help him? How many men are in there? W-we need to get him out of there!"

Johnny shook his head, "We cannot go back in there because if it came down to it, I don't know if I can protect Jason from my father and I don't want to put him in anymore danger. Jason is the best at what he does, he will be fine." He reassured Elizabeth as they rushed toward their waiting car.

Elizabeth stopped, "No." she whispered hesitantly. "No!" she screamed. "We need to go back and get him out… I will…"

Claudia cut her off, "You have two children waiting for you at home. Do you want to risk them growing up without a mother?" She looked around to ensure that there was no one around. It was dusk and a weekend so luckily the chance of any bystanders was slim but she still wanted to get them out of sight.

Elizabeth's eyes welled up with tears as she relented and they again began to move in the direction of the car. They arrived at Harborview in less then five minutes. Elizabeth weakly climbed out of the car, Johnny and Claudia followed. Claudia had driven because Johnny's shoulder prevented him from holding the steering wheel. Blood had soaked through his t-shirt and his hand was applying pressure to the wound. He stopped and turned back to her before Claudia could step away from the driver's side door, "No Claudia, you need to leave."

"Johnny…" Claudia started to say.

He shook his head and cut her off, "Maybe someday you can come back but please, you have to be gone by the time Jason gets here." Johnny turned to face Elizabeth, "And he will come back."

Elizabeth looked at Johnny slightly confused but they offered no explanation, instead she walked away from their conversation, needing to be with her boys while she waited and prayed that Jason would return to them.


	24. Chapter 24 Hour 24

Well, it has been fun... and a little agonizing, lol. Thank you all for the wondeful feedback and praise. Of all the fic, this has, by far, been the hardest to write.

I love you all and now you all enjoy the end (and the next fic that is already stewing away inside my head, lol).

Chapter 24

Hour 24 - 8:00 PM

Elizabeth opened the door to the Penthouse and stopped short. She could not believe what she saw, Carly was sitting with Jake playing peek-a-boo as Cameron sat on the floor in front of her. He appeared to be coloring a picture as he leaned on the coffee table concentrating on whatever it was that he was working on. "Umm…"

Carly looked over her shoulder at Elizabeth as she walked toward them. Jake saw her and a smile came to his face as his arms rose for her to pick him up. "Mommy's home." Carly said talking in a baby voice to Jake. Cameron jumped from his seat on the floor and ran over to Elizabeth, wrapping his arms around her legs. Elizabeth stared at Carly trying to read the expression on her face but was unsuccessful. She reached down and pat Cameron on his back and picked up Jake from the couch.

"Wha… what are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked.

Carly stood and crossed her arms over her chest, "Jason called me and asked me to come watch the boys so he could…" Carly looked at the boys, "So he could go and pick you up." She looked over Elizabeth's shoulder toward the door, "Where is he?"

Elizabeth just looked at Carly, the look in her eyes reflected that of Elizabeth's… fear. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out a deep breath. "Cam, did you have fun with Carly?"

Cameron looked at Carly then nodded as Spinelli appeared at the top of the stairs. "Maternal one, you have been saved from the hold of the dark evil doers. But…" He looked around, "Where is Stonecold?" When neither Elizabeth nor Carly answered he ran down the steps. "Have they captured…"

Elizabeth lifted her hand then pointed down at Cameron as she shook her head. "Cameron, it's almost bed time baby. Spinelli has a TV in his room, maybe he can put on a movie for you to watch in there." Cameron frowned. "You can either lay in there and watch a movie till you fall asleep or you can just go to bed now, no TV." Elizabeth added sternly.

"Ok mama." Cameron replied.

"Spinelli, would you mind?" Elizabeth asked.

"Not at all." He bent down in front of Cameron with his back facing him. "Hop on little Cam." Cameron smiled and wrapped his arms around Spinelli's neck and his legs around his waist. Once he was securely on Spinelli's back they took off and Spinelli made the sound of a rocket ship as they disappeared up the staircase.

Elizabeth walked over to the couch with Jake on her hip and sat down, resting him on her side. His head bent down and he snuggled into her side, obviously tired.

"What happened?" Carly asked.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when there was a knock on the door. She rocked on the cushion as Carly ran to open the door. "What are you doing here?" Elizabeth heard Carly growl. She looked over her shoulder and saw Johnny standing at the door, still tightly holding his shoulder to control the bleeding.

"It's ok Carly." Elizabeth said as she leaned forward on the couch, pulling Jake back into her lap before she stood. "He helped us."

Carly's eyebrows raised, "Well it was probably a setup."

Elizabeth shook her head, "He helped me escape."

"Escape? What about Jason?" Carly asked. She glared at Elizabeth. "Where is Jason? You left him?"

Tears formed in Elizabeth's eyes and she could not speak. There was no energy left in her body to fight with Carly.

Johnny walked into the Penthouse and turned back to face Carly, "We made her leave with us. She wanted to stay and help or wait for Jason but we got her out of there, safely, as Jason wanted." Elizabeth turned away and sniffled as Johnny continued. "Jason went after my father."

"What do you mean we made her leave?" Carly asked with a disgusted look.

"Me and Claudia." Johnny answered plainly before he groaned in pain.

Elizabeth placed Jake on the couch and he quietly laid his head on the oversized pillow. She turned back to Johnny and pulled his hand from his shoulder. "And where did she go off to?" Carly asked annoyed.

"She is on her way out of town, per Jason's orders." Carly went to speak again but Johnny shook his head. "I'm done talking. I just came up here to make sure Elizabeth got in here safe and that there were guards."

"And why didn't the guards stop you?" Carly asked.

"Because they know I am not out to get Jason or his family." Johnny answered as Elizabeth pulled the sleeve of his t-shirt from the wound.

"The bullet just grazed your shoulder, you just need to be cleaned and stitched up." Elizabeth said as she examined the wound on his shoulder. Johnny nodded and before Elizabeth could offer to help him, he turned to walk out, stopping at the door.

"Make sure Jason knows that Claudia is gone." Johnny said to Elizabeth before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Elizabeth returned to the couch where Jake was laying and sat beside him, patting his back. "So let me get this straight, Anthony took you hostage, he came and saved you, then you left him there to fend for himself?"

"Carly, you don't know what happened." Elizabeth managed to choke out as the tears started welling up in her eyes. She could hear Carly huffing as she paced behind the couch. Elizabeth leaned forward on her elbows and buried her face in her hands as she cried. She couldn't imagine her life without Jason, even if they weren't together they still could see each other and sneak glances, looks or conversations that would hold her together till the next one chance came along or her to see him.

"Elizabeth, I know exactly what happened and once again saving your selfish, manipulating ass has cost Jason…"

"CARLY!" a voice came from the door.

Both women turned and saw Jason. Before Elizabeth could will her body to move, Carly threw herself at him. He stood there as she squeezed him tightly but his gaze never left Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned her head for a brief second to check on Jake, whose eyes were heavy and slowly closing. She stood from the couch and turned back to Jason, who was still watching her. "Thank you for watching the boys… I'll call you… later." Jason said to Carly. As he pulled away from her walked back toward the door.

Carly grimaced, "Huh, now you are telling me to leave?"

Jason nodded, "Please."

Carly huffed, "Fine, but you better call me." she hissed then grabbed her purse off the desk and left.

Jason turned back to find Elizabeth was anxiously standing next to the couch and before either of them could say anything they lunged toward each other and tightly embraced. Elizabeth buried her face in his chest as she pressed her body into his, needing to be as close to him as possible. "Elizabeth…" Jason whispered. "I… I'm so sorry, this is exactly..."

Her head lifted from his chest, "No…" she shook her head. "Thank god you are ok. I was so worried that I would lose you. I don't know if I could live my life without…"

This time Jason cut her off and took a step backward, releasing her. "Elizabeth, this just proved that our fears were right all along. What if I didn't find you or worse. I…" He sucked in a deep breath as he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I have to leave."

Elizabeth furrowed her brows, "What do you mean you have to leave?" She took a step toward him but he walked around her and crossed the room. He stood in front of the doors to the balcony and continued.

"Today created a big mess, a mess that even Diane couldn't get me out of. I was sloppy, all I could think of was getting to you and I left evidence everywhere. I can and will without a doubt be connected to what happened down at the warehouse… ssss… so I need to leave town for a while."

"For a while?" Elizabeth asked knowing what that meant. "Or forever?"

Jason briefly glanced over his shoulder at Elizabeth and saw the tears on her cheeks. He hated hurting her and that seems to be all he has done time and time again. He blinked back tears and sighed, "Elizabeth, I love you. If I stay here I WILL be convicted of killing Anthony. I have to leave… tonight." He shrugged, "It is safer for you here without me…"

"Or it could be more dangerous, I could be used to send you a message."

Jason shook his head, "I'll make sure you are taken care of and protected. Never worry about that."

Elizabeth crossed the room and stepped behind Jason. Her arms snaked around his waist and she rested her head on his broad back. "Jason, I have loved you since before I met you. A life without you is not anything I ever want to imagine." Jason turned so he could look in her eyes and kissed her forehead. Her eyes locked with his and she continued, "So, no more fighting it, no more lying… it is our time, me, you, Jake and Cameron." Jason's eyes went wide as she asked him, "What time are we leaving."

* * *

Side note - - Please don't hate me for letting Claudia live but I left a few things up in the air in case I am brave and decide to do a sequel. Who knows, maybe it will take place in Italy... isn't that where Claudia lived before coming to Port Charles;)


End file.
